All Things End: Volume II
by Couragefan09
Summary: The quest to save Courage's life continues! Unfortunately, it seems that the universe is still out to get him and Computer. From grizzly bears, to marriage, to a depraved chicken, they just can't catch a break. It only gets worse when Computer's previously unknown past comes back to haunt and everything finally comes together. Will they ever make it to that mountain alive?
1. Visions Of Things To Come

A/N: We've finally made it to Volume II! I'm going to warn you all ahead of time that there is going to be a third story, but it's not going to be considered another volume and it will be after the main story has concluded. All Things End will finish with this volume so don't worry. The third story is going to be a more 'where are they now' kind of thing. There's a few smaller plotlines I want to write that take place after the story is finished and that is where this is coming from. I'm not sure what I'm going to call it yet but it's not going to be as big as the two volumes. Lastly, I consider the Mat Kearney song, 'Sooner Or Later' the main theme for Volume I. For Volume II it's a fairly unknown song called, 'It Goes On' from the artist Dep. I feel that it fits the more upbeat, sillier attitude of Volume II perfectly.

All Things End: Volume II

By: Couragefan09

Chapter 1: Visions Of Things To Come

Courage awoke with a stretch and a yawn. The first thing his eyes met was the dusty, wooden ceiling of the attic. The warm glow of Computer's screen bathed over his body, mixed in with the early morning sunlight.

He was home. He was safe. Muriel could be heard humming her happy little tune downstairs and even the smell of breakfast was wafting its way up into the attic. Life had finally gone back to normal after returning from the mountain. Well, maybe not _completely _normal...

"Good morning, Courage." Computer greeted him. The words he spoke trailed across his screen like they always did. Even now Courage could sense the smile in his friend's voice. It was so hard to believe that he really had given up living with Nina and his life in that dog body just for him.

"Morning." He answered with yet another yawn.

Everything in their life was perfect, all aside from one thing.

"Two days left." Computer reminded him in a sullen voice.

His ears drooped. "You still haven't found anything?" He asked.

"We've already accomplished one miracle, I think we're just pressing our luck now. The end has come whether we like it or not, so let's just enjoy what little time left we have together."

Courage glanced away. It still hurt so much and yet he couldn't even will himself to cry anymore. It'd been less than a month ago when Computer gave him the final date. He'd spent a lot of time crying then, but now? Now he just felt...numb.

"H-how are you holding up?" He dared to asked. He couldn't stop his voice from trembling as he did so.

"I'm maintaining only the most crucial parts of my system right now, but even that is getting very difficult to do. I'm trying to ensure that my memory banks remain uncorrupted for as long as possible, but I don't know how much longer it's going to last. I may forget you and everything else very soon, so we should probably-"

Courage squeezed his eyes shut. "P-please don't do that." He begged. "I-I don't want you to f-forget everything."

"Courage, with the way thing are going, memory will soon be the least of my concerns. We've already talked about this before. You knew that my final days weren't going to be...pleasant."

Silence fell between them. The attic suddenly felt very dreary again despite the light flooding in through the window.

"There is one thing that you could do for me." Computer added in a voice just barely above a whisper. "Why don't we make today the last day? I know that you don't want our time to end, but, I-I don't want to lose myself b-before-" Those last words were spoken with a tremble to them, as though he were desperately trying to keep himself composed and failing at it.

Courage closed his eyes. While Computer may be incapable of weeping, he could already feel the trickle of his own tears rolling down his cheeks. He had enough tears for the both of them. It appeared that they hadn't all dried up after all.

Taking in a breath, he answered with,

"Okay."

"Thank you, Courage."

"H-how do you want me to do this?" He whimpered.

"Remember back when you replaced some of my code? I told you that a few deleted lines in the wrong place would, well, I think you get what I'm implying."

A small sob escaped Courage's lips. "Will it hurt you?" He asked.

"Of course not." His dear friend assured him.

To be perfectly honest, he was glad that Computer hadn't asked him to take a hammer to his monitor or to do something just as destructive. He would have never been able to go through with it.

"W-when should w-we-" He stammered out, unable to stop himself from breaking down any longer. He had wished so badly that this day would never come and yet here it was. Two days too soon, and even if they had waited, he still would never have been prepared for it. There was no means to escape or ignore the horrible loss that was about to be inflicted upon him.

"Let's do it now," Computer wistfully spoke. "before I can become any less of myself."

His screen went dark for a moment and then began to scroll through a seemingly endless list of white colored code. Courage looked on, suddenly feeling very numb again.

"I won't give you any commands." Computer gently informed him. "Just delete whatever you like, it'll eventually get the job done."

He closed his eyes again. "I'm so sorry." He whimpered.

"Don't be. I'm glad that this is the way things turned out. I'd rather die here, at the hands of a loving friend who doesn't want me to suffer in my final moments, than alone, forgotten by an owner who never even cared about me, and half senile without any dignity left. Just promise me that you'll keep going even after Muriel is gone. Don't ever give up. Find a way to be happy without us. You deserve to be."

Courage wanted to say that he didn't think he would ever be happy again, but he couldn't bear to say such a thing to his dying friend. He didn't want to upset him in his final moments.

"Please don't hesitate, Courage." He urged him. "Let's end this while I can still say that I'm me."

He took another deep breath and nodded. "Thank you for always being there for me, Compute. I'm glad too. I'm glad that I got to know the real you and that I got a chance to change your life for the better. I-I'm just-" He broke down sobbing once more, letting his tears drop down onto the keyboard. "I'm just sorry that I couldn't change this! I promised that I would!"

"Don't feel bad for me. Neither of us could stop this from coming to pass and I never expected you to find a way, so let's not dwell on it. You aren't to blame for what others did to me. You're letting them win by blaming yourself for their own actions. "

Courage wiped away his tears and placed his paws down onto the keyboard. "Ready?" He asked.

"As I'll ever be."

He moved to press the delete key, but then,

_'NO!'_

A hand broke through the wooden wall, a whirling, mechanical hand to be precise. It wrapped its fingers around his neck.

_'HE WILL LIVE! WE DEMAND IT TO BE SO!'_

Courage managed to rip the hand away and toppled out of the chair. The house began to shake as the metal pipes and wiring quivered within their walls. He looked up to find Computer's body collapsing in upon itself with a metallic screech.

Muriel screamed downstairs.

A scream loosed from his mouth as well when wires began to burst through the ceiling with giant meat hooks attached to them. It looked like something right out of a horror movie. Outside, the sky went red just like in that horrific dream. He could already feel the machinery under his skin beginning to writhe all over again. He'd been right to believe that they had truly never gone away.

He tore out of the attic on all fours, but even in the hallway the meat hooks were breaking through the ceiling. Only one thing registered in his mind, he needed to get to Muriel. He refused to lose her too.

"Muriel!" He called out, racing down the staircase, dodging hooks the whole way.

Downstairs, the lights flickered and the TV jumped up and down with such force that it almost seemed to be alive. He could already hear awful sounds coming from the kitchen. Terrified, he forced himself to go inside. The sounds were almost defining without the door to shield him. It appeared that every appliance in the kitchen was trying to rip itself out of the wall. The refrigerator banged its door open and shut over and over again, the toaster was buzzing across the countertop, and the microwave hummed with so much heat that it very well might explode.

"Courage, help!" Muriel cried out. He found her with several thick, black cables wrapped around her waist and they were dragging her towards the basement door. She was holding onto the counter with all her might.

Courage went to go look for a knife, hoping to cut her down, but when he opened the shelf that contained the silverware, the oven came to life with such a deafening roar that he stumbled backwards just to escape it. It too was trying to rip itself out of the wall and come after him.

"Couraaaagggeee!" Muriel screamed as her grip gave out and she was dragged into the darkness of the basement. He tried to jump in after her but the door swung shut right in his face. Try as he might, he could not pull it open again. His beloved owner's screams could be heard just beneath the floorboards.

_'Run!' _Those awful voices commanded inside his head.

There was a snap as one of the floorboards bent in two. Then another followed it. Soon the entire kitchen floor was threatening to collapse into the basement. Courage had no choice but to do as the voices said. Their mocking laughter seemed to fill every last centimeter of his brain.

The whole house began to bend and twist just as he escaped through the front door. He could only look on in horror as it collapsed into a pile wood before it slowly being to reform into something else.

_'You have nothing left, little Courage.' _The voices laughed.

What was once a farm house reformed into a strange, monstrous, wolf-like head. It opened it's great maw and those horrible meat hoots shot out of it, aimed directly at Courage.

He tried to run, but it was no use. The hooks dug into him. He grabbed onto the dry earth of Nowhere in vain as they dragged him closer and closer to the sharp teeth of the creature that had once been his home.

_'Come join us, Courage_." The voices spoke in a soothing tone. He could hear Computer's and Muriel's voices mixed in with the rest. _'We're all here waiting for you. Now we can be together forever, just like you've always wanted.'_

"No." He whimpered, trying to pull himself away. The hooks only dug in deeper. "No!"

_'You don't want to be with us anymore?' _The voices mocked._ 'We thought that you wanted your life to go on forever, completely unchanged. Is that no longer the case? Or do you finally wish to die? If that's so, we would love nothing more than to give you death. You shall die along with everyone else. We will raze every last living creature off the face of this planet.'_

"Noooooo!" He begged, slipping into the artificial monster's jaw. "No, no, n-"

The teeth were closing shut, plunging him into darkness.

"NOOOO!"

And then a voice called out to him. One that was thankfully not anything like the voices that were plaguing his mind.

"Hey! Hey! Enough screaming! You're making everyone look at us!"

Courage was given such a hard shake that it snapped him right out of his dream. The horrific mouth of that monstrous beast vanished in an instant and the writhing under his skin fell still once more.

Tears were rolling down his cheeks as he was greeted by Computer's worried face. He glanced around in confusion, having almost forgotten that they were still on the bus. The sun was hanging low outside the window, signaling that it would be getting dark within the next couple of hours. Their first day on the bus would soon be coming to an end.

"Nightmares, huh?" Computer asked. "I figured that those rings wouldn't leave you unscathed. It looks like you're going to be having the same problems as me from now on." He ended his sentence on a note that made it clear he wasn't particularly happy with this new development.

Courage swallowed and turned away, taking a moment to wipe his eyes. Just as he had feared, his nightmares were starting to become as real as they possibly could be. The same thing had happened to Computer after the rings had delved into his mind too. It seems that their destruction had not dulled the side effects.

Computer let him be for a little while longer and then said, "We'll be hitting another rest stop soon and we can get dinner while we're there. You look like you could use it."

Courage couldn't will himself to answer. He kept his eyes focused on the scuffed up floor of the bus. Even though he couldn't see it, Computer's intense gaze could be felt upon his back. It was like his friend was seeing right through him. He couldn't help but worry that he had figured out what he'd been dreaming about.

"Do you want to talk about what you saw?" The glowing dog asked rather hesitantly.

He shook his head, still refusing to turn back around. He couldn't, ironically, find the courage to look him in the eyes after what the nightmare had shown him. No matter what might happen, he would never be able to find the strength to do what he almost did in that dream to the real Computer. If such a thing came to pass, even if it would be the best option for the both of them, he still wouldn't be able to push the button that would end his friend's life.

"Well, it's alright if you don't want to say anything. I certainly know how it feels, but-" Computer trailed off as tried to figure out the right thing to say. He did not make a very good 'substitute' Courage.

Courage finally dared to turn back around, but he kept his sights elsewhere. He felt Computer place a paw onto his shoulder and then, much to his surprise, drew him into a hug. He almost broke down sobbing all over again.

Desperately trying to keep himself composed, he said, "I-It still feels like they're inside of me. They only start to move when I'm asleep."

"I could check for you." Computer answered, surprising him yet again. He'd almost forgotten that he was capable of such things. Before he could even say 'yes', the glowing dog spoke up again.

"There's nothing there. Your nightmares must be causing it. It's making you think that you're feeling them in real life too when they aren't really there."

The confirmation that there weren't any machines crawling around inside of his body was a comforting one, but it didn't change the fact that it still felt like they were there, waiting for a chance to move again the moment he closed his eyes. He couldn't help but shiver, unable to quell his fear. There was no escaping his nightmares. Now he knew the same helplessness that Computer had no doubt felt.

"I wish that I could do more to help you, but there just isn't a cure for any of this nonsense." His friend sighed. "Perhaps we should share the dream catcher. Maybe it really does work."

He nodded. "I-I hope I can stop having nightmares."

Computer shrugged and sat back. "I'm just glad that I wasn't asleep at the same time as you. Goodness knows, I've had enough of your nightmares for one lifetime."

Courage managed to smile. "I could say the same about yours."

The machine closed his eyes. "For your information, I haven't had a single nightmare lately. I've just never had a good one though. Come to think of it, I haven't been dreaming at all, aside from when we went into your head. You don't think that there's something wrong, do you?" He opened his eyes again, looking worried. "What if it's not an issue caused by the rings and that there's something wrong with me instead? I don't normally dream, but-"

"Don't worry." Courage assured him. "Give it some time and I bet even you will have a good dream."

Computer placed his paws behind his head. "I can only imagine what they're like. Judging by that description you've given me, they just sound weird."

He couldn't stop himself from chuckling. "You'll have to find out for yourself."

"Well, given the way you look, if you need to sleep then sleep. You must be careful when it comes to your health, regardless of those nightmares. If your body is telling you to rest, then listen to it."

Courage's stomach lurched. "I-I can't, not when-"

Computer gave him a hard stare. He seemed like he was about to give him a lecture but then thought better of it. "I have no intentions of going to sleep right now. I'll stay up and watch over you while you rest. If you so much as twitch in your sleep, I'll wake you right back up again. I should have acted sooner before, or at the very least, I should have acted before you started screaming loud enough to be heard halfway across the world. It won't happen again under my watch."

That was a somewhat comforting prospect and Courage did feel like he still needed some rest. It was like that nightmare had made him even more tired than before he had taken a nap.

"Come on, dog." Computer spoke. "You look like you're ready to pass out. You need to rest."

He relented and laid his head down onto his friend's shoulder. While he did feel a little more at ease, he was still worried about having another nightmare. He felt Computer place a paw onto one of his own and he found himself feeling a little more assured. He had a protector watching over him, someone who'd wake him up if he himself could not escape the frightening downward spiral of his deepest fears.

Try as he might, he couldn't stop himself from drifting off. That nightmare really had sapped him of his energy. Hopefully the outcome of this rest would be a little better than last time. Besides, they'd be hitting the next rest stop soon. He wouldn't be asleep for long.

"Goodnight, Courage." He heard Computer say. It brought back the painful reality of that nightmare. How he hoped that he would not one day hear his friend say 'good morning' for the last time.

End Of Chapter

A/N: See this? See this angsty depressingness right here? Take a good, long look at it 'cause it's the last dramatic, depressing bullshit this story is going to have for a long time. Brace yourself, humor is coming.


	2. Moosing Around

Chapter 2: Moosing Around

It was when the steady, rhythmic bumping of Courage's seat stopped that he woke up. The humming of the engine had been a constant sound, even in his sleep, and its absence was noticeable enough to wake him. As he opened his eyes and blinked the blurriness out of them, he noticed that something heavy was leaning on him. He turned his head slightly to the side and found Computer fast asleep as well.

"Hey, I think we're at the next rest stop." He said in a quiet voice. Several people were passing their seat as they made their way to the front of the bus.

Computer began to stir, then let out a gasp and shot up. "Oh, dear. I must have-" He quickly said, giving Courage a rather sympathetic expression. "I'm sorry. I said that I was going to stay up and-"

Courage shook his head. "It's okay. I didn't have any nightmares anyway. How about you?"

He suspected that Computer had a nightmare free nap as well or else they very likely would have both experienced it.

"I, uh, I'm fine." He muttered out, glancing away.

"That sounds like a, 'I'm pretending to be fine' kind of fine." He joked, taking note of Computer's sheepishness.

"I think I may have had a good dream, but I'm not so sure." He admitted, still keeping his sights elsewhere. "Let's just say that it was-" He seemed to be getting more and more embarrassed by the second. "N-never mind."

Courage could only imagine what a normal dream might be like for someone like Computer.

The machine cleared his throat. "Dreams are indeed strange." He spoke, regaining some of his composer. "I, er, think I'd like to go back to not dreaming at all."

Courage couldn't help but grin as he tried to puzzle out what Computer could have possibly dreamed about that would make him as flustered as he was. "You can't just decide if you're going to dream or not. It just happens!"

"Great." He grumbled. "I think I'm going to go back to being an insomniac." Unamused, he looked past Courage and out the window. His eyes widened. "I-is that a giant moose?" He asked. "Am I still asleep?"

Courage turned and did indeed find a giant statue of a moose out there. It was standing near the entrance of a diner across from the gas station the bus was parked at. The 'majestic' beast had one heck of a serious expression, as though it were eying down someone to gore.

Computer practically stepped all over Courage as he tried to get a better look. "It's a giant moose statue!" He exclaimed, acting as though this was something so rare and so completely unexpected that it might as well have been the eighth wonder of the world. "I don't know why, but the humans have erected a giant moose statue! I need to investigate this oddity further!" He then clamored over Courage a second time and was off the bus before the poor pup could even stand up.

"It's just a moose..." He muttered. It was at that exact moment when he realized that _everything _on this journey of theirs was going to be a huge novelty for Computer. He was going to be seeing and experiencing so many new things for the very first time.

By the time he too got off the bus, he was certain that Computer had circled the giant moose statue at least twenty times by now. His friend was staring up at the thing, completely enraptured by it. The glowing dog was just beginning his millionth circle around the moose when Courage decided to call out to him before their entire rest stop could be wasted. He wasn't going to wait for Computer to finish his 'investigation.'

"Hey, are we going to get something to eat or not?"

Computer finally tore his eyes away from the moose. "Right, food." He uttered out, apparently having completely forgotten. He glanced back up at the moose again, enthralled once more. "It's just so..._weird_!" He exclaimed. "You flesh creatures create the strangest things."

Courage stared and then repeated yet again, "It's just a moose..."

"Are you telling me that this is normal?" The machine asked, craning his head slightly to the side. "Perhaps I was wrong about Nowhere after all."

Courage shrugged. "Well, it's not exactly normal, but it isn't completely unusual either."

Computer was apparently satisfied with this answer and nodded to himself as though he were making note of it. "Let's go inside. I can only imagine what other oddities a place like this might hold. For starters, it looks like it was constructed with primitive means. Do you think it even has plumbing?"

The reason for Computer's consideration came from the fact that the building looked like it had been made by slapping a few logs together. It gave off the appearance of being a super sized log cabin that you might find in the middle of the woods.

"It's just for show." Courage answered him. "It's a real building made to look like a cabin. People enjoy eating at places like these when they're on vacation."

"I see." Computer mused. "There's a novelty to it then?"

"Yeah." He agreed with a nod. "Now, let's get in there and find something to eat. I'm starving!"

Although, judging by the smell that was already hitting his nostrils, he wasn't expecting the food to be very good. He could already tell through smell alone that this place was dirty and unkempt. Hopefully there wouldn't be any food poisoning involved.

Computer passed him by as he rushed in to find out what the inside of the log building looked like. Courage followed rather precariously behind. Crappy food or not, he was hungry, and if he skipped out on eating here then he wouldn't get another chance to eat a decent meal until morning.

He stepped through the wooden doors and the musty, disgusting smells grew worse. The inside of the diner was dim thanks to the low lighting and cigaret smoke. The floor was a dull, smooth wood that was in need of a serious cleaning. Muddled, vaguely southern music issued forth from ancient speakers set up in various places. There were quite a few people eating at the tables and they had all turned to get a look at the 'strange' glowing, blue dog who had just entered. Computer stood out even more than usual in the low lighting.

"This place seems a bit run down." The machine commented. "Do people really vacation here?"

Courage ignored the question and urged him to walk forward. They passed a bar, which held the majority of the people occupying the diner, and only quickened their pace when several questions were thrown at them about the 'weird, radioactive dog'. The last thing they needed right now was to attract even more attention from the drunken gawkers.

"Hmph! I don't look that strange!" Computer spat. "Although, I suppose I am a bit more noticeable to people outside of Nowhere."

"C'mon, let's keep going." Courage urged him. "There's got to be somewhere around here where we can sit without people staring at us."

They soon hit the other end of the diner, which was clearly made to be more kid friendly. The wooden walls were painted with bright colors and half the area was devoted to a giant, multicolored tube structure that reached all the way up to the ceiling. It held both a ball pit inside and several slides of varying sizes and shapes. To the right of it stood a stage where an animatronic, humanoid moose sang with his two friends. As far as Courage could tell, this end of the diner was completely deserted at such a late hour.

"It looks like we'll be okay here." He spoke. "Well, as long as those drunk guys don't come after us."

Computer wandered over to the stage where the robotic moose and his friends were singing to a non-existent audience. He watched it for a good few minutes before finally turning back around.

"It's dated technology, but effective none the less!" He eagerly concluded.

Courage looked up at the band of robots. "Er, it's kind of creepy." He replied.

The robots were so old and in such disrepair that the clattering of their parts easily drowned out the songs they were singing. It was an amazement that they even functioned at all.

"Says you!" Computer huffed. "You think everything is creepy!"

"I mean it though. Those things are pretty scary looking."

Computer crossed his arms. "What? Do you think they're going to come to life and eat you? I seem to recall that we aren't in Nowhere anymore. The odds of that happening are effectively zero."

"I know, but-"

"Bah! I don't want to hear it!" He spat. "The next thing I know you'll be calling me a creepy robot too!"

"Compute, you _are_ a creepy robot."

"Am not!"

"Look, just stay here and try not to blow a circuit while I go to the bathroom, okay? We'll order some food as soon as I get back." He pointed over to a hallway on their left that had the word, 'restrooms' printed over it.

"My circuits don't do any blowing up, thank you very much." Computer grumbled as he took a seat.

Courage made his way over to the hallway which, of course, held the bathrooms, but it also had an 'employee's only' doorway at the end of it too. Just like the main room, this hallway was brightly colored and even had a speaker in it blaring out the moose's song.

He entered the boys bathroom and immediately wrenched. The smell was overwhelming. Nobody must have cleaned this god-awful place in weeks. Deciding that he'd rather hold it, he tumbled back out of the bathroom, nearly gagging half to death. He stood there for awhile, just taking in large gasps of air. The musty, dirty smell of the diner was better than anything he had just gone through.

It was then when he realized that someone was standing at the end of the hallway, and it wasn't Computer either. He thought for a moment that it was an employee heading for the employee's room, but then he noticed that the person had _antlers_.

He gasped as his eyes widened in terror. The figure took a step forward and the sound of mechanical parts whirling became apparent. There was no mistaking it. That moose mascot was somehow moving around on it's own. Courage couldn't even begin to imagine what it might have done with Computer.

"Hello there, little dog!" It spook in a surprisingly deep yet still cheerful voice. "You look scared. What's the matter?"

The moose was slowly making it's way down the hall. Courage in turn booked it towards the employee's room, hoping to find an escape route, but when he grabbed the door handle he found that it was locked.

"Nooooooo!" He screamed, pulling at in desperation.

"Why are you running?" The moose asked in that eerie voice.

He slowly turned around, trembling. The moose was now standing before him, it's dead eyes staring down at him.

"C'mon! Give moosy a big ol' hug!" It exclaimed, raising it's creaking, jittery arms. "And then, when we're done with that, I'm going to chew your brain right out of that cute, little skull of yours!"

"ARAAAAAGGGGG!" Courage screamed, nearly shaking the whole diner apart.

He dove under the moose's legs and booked it out of the hallway as fast as his legs would take him. He was just about to run right out of the diner when he caught sight of Computer sitting in the same spot he had been sitting in before. He wanted to tell him that they needed to get out of there as fast as possible and ask him why he hadn't seen the moose get up off the stage, but then the glowing dog burst out laughing.

"Look at your face!" He exclaimed. "You truly are the biggest coward on the planet! It's hilarious!"

Courage's mouth fell open. "W-wait, _you _did that?" He stammered.

"Who else can make an old moose robot move around on its own? Did you really think it had come to life and was about to eat your brain?" He pointed over at the hallway. The moose was there, waving at them, which only made him laugh even harder.

Courage clenched his teeth together. "Computer..." He growled.

"Don't give me that look! Who was it that pretended to choke to death when they tried my cooking? Two can play at this game, you overgrown pansy!"

"I may be a pansy but I'm not the one who's about to become a glowing pile of scrap metal!"

"Is that a threat?" The machine challenged. "Now who exactly has an army of 'creepy' robots?"

"I bet those hunks of metal wouldn't be able to catch up in time to stop me from dismantling you first!"

Computer's eyes narrowed mischievously. "Bring it on, wimp! I'd like to see you try! You'd probably pass out from fear long before that!"

Courage, accepting the challenge, dove at him. The machine easily jumped out of the chair and landed neatly onto the wooden floor. Courage on the other hand crashed into the chair and knocked it over along with him.

"Perfect landing!" Computer quipped. "Ten out of ten! Very graceful!"

Courage stood up, spurred on by the glowing dog's mocking insults. "You are so dead!" He threatened in a lighthearted manner.

"Oh, really? And here I was thinking you were beaten by a chair!"

"RRRRAAAA!" He screamed, letting out a battle cry.

Computer turned and ran, chuckling out insults the whole way. Much to Courage's horror, he slipped into one of the multicolored tubes and vanished inside the kiddy structure.

"Wait, don't go in there!" He cried out. "It stinks! You're going to smell like dirty children for weeks and I'm the one who has to sit next to you!"

There was not so much as a peep from his friend.

"Whatever you do, don't go in the ball pit!" He begged. "Ooooh, I really don't want to do this!" He whimpered. Regardless, he didn't want Computer to win either and although the moose and his friends weren't coming after him, who knew how long Computer would keep it that way.

"I'm going to need a bath after this..." He grumbled, wondering if he would be able to hold his breath long enough inside those stinky tunnels.

Getting down onto his knees, he crawled inside. He made a conscious effort to pace himself in order to avoid tiring out or possibly triggering an attack. Despite his caution, he refused to let his illness get in the way of his revenge against Computer.

"You'd better watch your tail!" He called out into the structure. "You can't hide from me when you glow like that!"

He slowly made his way upward through the structure, but the tubes were so numerous that Computer could easily avoid him without getting caught. The structure was just too big and and too easy to hide in, but now was not the time to give up. That smug machine would slip up eventually.

Courage finally hit the uppermost part of the structure after wandering through every tunnel he came across. It was a purple, oval shaped room with a very low ceiling. Several of the tubes led up here and two of the largest slides could also be accessed from this point. He inched closer to one of the slides, checking to make sure that Computer wasn't hiding halfway down it. He did not catch so much as a glimpse of blue.

Between the two slides was a window which gave him a perfect view of the kiddy area and most of the diner itself. Thankfully, it appeared that Computer had not forsaken the tunnels and was still hiding somewhere inside. How that machine could be so stealthy was a complete mystery.

As he moved in to check the second slide, it suddenly hit him just how strange this all was. He was in the middle of what amounted to a playground, trying to find a glowing, blue dog who he had thought for most of his life was too stuffy to ever goof around like this. He'd realized just how strange things had become several times before, but it had never really struck him as hard as it did now. He almost found it funny to think about how much everything had changed between him and Computer. Had they been told what was going to happen to them ahead of time, they both would have laughed it off without a shadow of a doubt that it was untrue.

Lost in his own thoughts, Courage barely even noticed the oval room filling up with light. By the time it had hit him that the glossy plastic was reflecting a blue light, it was already too late. He received a hard shove in the back and was sent tumbling head first down the slide. He slowed to a stop at the bottom and immediately turned back around, trying to claw his way back up the slide to no avail.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Were you looking for me?" Came Computer's mocking voice from the top. "Maybe if you'd get your head out of the clouds you wouldn't get schooled by me over and over again! Catch you later, scardy dog!"

Courage gripped the sides of the slide even harder. "Aruuu! You're gonna eat those words!" He threatened. Unfortunately, Computer was already long gone.

He turned around, ready to find another tunnel back into the structure, but as he did so he found himself staring directly at the feet of all three animatronics.

"Boo!" The band said in unison.

"RAAAAGGG!"

His terror gave him a burst of strength and with it he tore back up the slide as though it were nothing at all. Panting for breath at the top, he shivered knowing that those creepy things were still down there. All the more reason to get to Computer and put a stop to his robot army!

Speaking of Computer, Courage had no idea which way he had gone. There were several tunnels he could have taken and his glow could not be seen down any of them. It appeared that his nemesis had slipped away yet again.

"He's got another thing coming if he thinks he's going sneak up on me again, with or without those robots!" He whispered in determination. "You're going to pay for scaring me like that!" He called out through the tunnels.

His wrath was going to be swift and painful indeed.

End Of Chapter


	3. And The Winner Is

Chapter 3: And The Winner Is...

Try as he might, Courage could not find Computer. He shuffled through the entire structure but never once did he find evidence that the glowing dog was lurking about. Unlike he himself, who made plenty of noise as he crawled through the tunnels, Computer had somehow found a way to make no sound at all, if he really was moving around to begin with. Of course, he would have been discovered by now if he was hiding in one spot. That glow would give him away.

"Ugh, I've been in here so long that the stench doesn't even bother me anymore!" Courage whispered to himself. "At least I won't have to smell Compute now either. Who knows when we'll get a chance to take a bath."

Slowly but surely he was making his way to the bottom of the structure again. His newest plan was to try and spot Computer from the outside. If that smug machine was still moving around, he'd eventually catch sight of his glow through one of the windows and would finally have some idea on where to go.

Following the path he had originally taken upon first entering the structure, he made his way through a curved tube that led to the entrance. Just as he came around the corner he realized that something was horrifyingly wrong.

...That awful moose was leaning over in front of the entrance, leering right at him with those dead, creepy eyes.

"ARU!" He exclaimed, booking it right back around the corner in hopes of escaping that awful robot's stare.

Great! Computer must have those terrifying things stationed at every exit just to keep him from escaping! Courage took a deep breath and leaned his back up against the tube, trying to calm himself down. Panicking would only ensure Computer's victory even faster. At least those robots were too big to fit into the tunnels. Sadly, Computer can probably see through their eyes and now knows exactly where to go if he wants to attack again. Keeping an eye open for him sneaking about would probably be the best route to take at this point.

"Oooh, I promised I wouldn't let those robots scare me again!" Courage moaned to himself in annoyance. "Hmph! I'm not going to let that jerksneak up on me again either!"

There had to be something he could do to get the upper hand on Computer, but what?

"I have to outsmart him, somehow. He's being really overconfident too, so maybe-" He slowly trailed off. "Wait, that's it!"

A potential plot to catch Computer by surprise was already beginning to form in his mind. It was so simple and yet the machine was being so overconfident that he'd fall right into the trap!

"I've got to make him come to me!" He exclaimed in a hushed voice. "I'll be the one who does the hiding this time! When I vanish without a trace, he'll be the one who has to start looking for me, and as soon as he lets his guard down..."

Thanks to the robot moose, Computer would already know where to start looking. He was probably heading this way now. If Courage could just find a way to be as stealthy as him, he'd finally have the upper hand.

"I don't have a glow that I need to be careful about." He whispered. "That already puts me at an advantage. I just need to figure out where to hide. He can come from any direction so hiding in one of the tunnels can't be an option. Obviously I can't wait outside either with those robots lurking around. The slides can't work either because I don't have enough strength to support myself inside one for very long."

He rubbed his chin, trying to think fast. Computer could be here any minute now and if he was going to ambush him then he needed to be ready to do it as soon as possible.

A thought struck him then. At first it made him want to gag but the urge to show Computer up quickly replaced his revulsion. Besides, if this worked out, Computer would soon be the one gagging.

"I've got to find the ball pit." He said to himself, cringing slightly. These tunnels were dirty enough but he couldn't even imagine what the ball pit would be like. "It's the only place I can hide, and when Computer comes looking for me-" He took a moment to swallow his displeasure and then grinned at the thought of subjecting his snide friend to the ball pit. Not even he would be able to ignore all the horrific filth!

He began to make his way over to the area where he knew the ball pit would be. He was making sure to be as quiet as possible in hopes of keeping Computer off his trail. It would all be for nothing if his friend figured out what was going on ahead of time.

The tube opened up at the other end and, just as he suspected, it was the ball pit. The smelly, multicolored pit was closed off by a thick netting. The only way in or out was through the two tubes on either side.

"I hope this is worth it..." He groaned, hopping in. The discolored, plastic balls came all the way up to his chest. The smell of it threatened to overwhelm him and he was certain that he could feel slime between his toes as he tried to walk into the middle of the pit. Well, hopefully it was slime and not something else...

"I've just gotta wait here and keep myself from passing out." He assured himself. The thought of diving under the balls almost made him throw up, but he did it anyway. Perhaps this was some sort of punishment for daring to try and get his revenge on the machine. Regardless, he wasn't going to let Computer win now, not after making it this far.

And so he waited.

...And waited...

...And waited even more until he was certain that his head was getting dizzy from the overwhelming smell of the pit. He was just about to give up and call it quits when a shuffling sound caught his attention. He immediately tensed up, ready to strike at a moments notice.

Was this it? Was his plotting finally going to pay off?

There was a soft '_thump_' as someone landed in the ball pit, that someone obviously being Computer. Courage waited with his breath held as the machine silently shuffled across the pit. Then, a glowing foot came down mere inches away from his muzzle and...it was now or never!

He grabbed his friend's leg and pulled, which caused the machine to topple over. He then burst out of his hiding place, grabbed Computer by his head and shoved him under the nasty spheres of absolute filth.

"Ha! Not so tough now without your robot buddies!" He laughed, continuing to shove the flailing dog down deeper into the disgusting, multicolored pit. With a few sweeps of his paws, he had his friend so thoroughly buried that he couldn't even be seen anymore. Still laughing, he then sat down on top of his work, ensuring that the machine wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

"Not so infallible now, are you?" He chuckled, looking down at the glow that could just barely be seen.

"Dog, I'm about to suffocate. Can we please stop with this silly charade?" Came Computer's muffled voice from below.

"Nope." He laughed.

"Alright, alright. You win." The machine relented in an unenthusiastic tone. "You caught me by surprise and one-upped me. Can I please stop suffocating now?"

"Who's the best ever?" Courage coaxed him.

"I'm not about to start singing you praise! Now let me up!"

"Well, I guess you're going to be stuck down there for a long time then." He slyly laughed. "Have fun drowning in kiddy germs!"

There was an exasperated sigh from his friend. Before he even knew what was happening, he was rising up and then suddenly found himself laying on his back. When he finally regained his bearings he sat up to find Computer standing there, shaking himself off with a rather indignant expression.

"I think I'll take my leave then." He sniffed. "I'd rather get out of here now before I turn brown, like you."

"WHAT?" Courage shrieked, gazing down at his torso in horror. He was surprised to find that his fur wasn't dirtied at all. Much to his relief, there wasn't a single hint of brown to be found. Looking back up at Computer, he said, "You lied to me, you no good...HEY!"

The machine had already clamored up out of the ball pit and was making his escape through the other tunnel. He looked back only once to give Courage a sly grin.

"You're not getting away this time!" He called out, kicking it into high gear. Hopping through the ball pit at lightning speed, he climbed up into the tube and crawled after Computer as fast as he could. He wouldn't let that sneaky machine leave his sights again!

"Oh, that's funny. It certainly looks like I am!" Computer smugly challenged from up ahead. "You may have gotten lucky once but you aren't going to get lucky again!"

Courage's tongue flopped out of his mouth as he began to pant. He was shuffling through the tunnel as fast as his limbs would take him but unfortunately all the extra effort was starting to tire him out. He'd already used up most of his limited strength before and now he was really pushing it. That mocking machine was only a few paces ahead of him and if he could just put on a little more speed...

Computer looked back at him for a moment and noticed how hard he was panting. He then slowly came to a stop. "Alright, that's enough." He spoke, any hint of humor leaving him. "You need to-"

Courage, seeing that his friend had let his guard down, put on a burst of speed and tackled him. Laughing like a maniac, he wrapped an arm around the glowing dog's neck, putting him in a headlock. He was mimicking a move he had seen on TV once.

"Oh, joy." The machine dryly quipped, making no effort to struggle. "I suppose this is what I get for being concerned about your well-being."

"Who totally outsmarted you?" Courage urged him in a sing-song voice. Even though he could not see his friend's face, he could already tell that he was rolling his eyes. "Saaay it..." He slyly whispered.

"Ugh..." The machine groaned. "You did..." He finally muttered out, completely unenthusiastic.

"And who's a creepy robot?"

There was a long, exaggerated sigh from the glowing dog. "I am..."

"Promise not to scare me anymore?"

"Dog, I could sneeze and it would scare you. You're asking for the impossible."

"You won't _i__ntentionally _scare me anymore?"

"Whatever you want, just so long as it ends this exercise in embarrassment."

"You'd better keep your promise this time!"

"Yes, yes! Whatever! Can you please stop with the armature wrestling moves now? Seriously!"

The 'not-so' smug machine began to flail around until he finally ripped his head out of Courage's grip. He sat there rubbing his neck for awhile, all while glaring at the smirking pup.

Courage was doing everything in his power to be a smug as possible, finally giving Computer a taste of his own medicine. He crossed his arms and sarcastically said, "Ooohhh, so it's only fun when you're the one who's winning, huh? Sore loser."

Computer stuck his nose up into the air but said nothing in return.

"Not so sassy now, are you?" He laughed. "At least I'm not the one who got beaten by a ball pit and a sickly dog!"

"How was I supposed to know you were hiding in there?" The machine grumbled under his breath. "It's not like it was brilliant tactical move or anything."

"Sore loser." Courage repeated yet again, grinning at his friend. "You're the one who got outsmarted by a 'not-brilliant tactical move'."

"You're just lucky that I'm not a barbarian like you!" He huffed. "If I tried to pull nonsense like that on you, you'd probably snap in half! I'm the one who's courteous enough to take my sick friend's health into consideration!"

Now it was Courage's turn to be offended. "But it's perfectly okay to try and give me a heart attack with those robots instead?"

"It was just a joke! I can't help it if you're a wimp!" He argued.

"Hypocrite..." Courage chuckled under his breath.

Computer's eyes widened with outrage. "Am not! You're just-" He hesitated for a moment. "I'm the one who-" He trailed off again, apparently unable to come up with a decent argument. He crossed his arms and stuck his nose up into the air yet again. "Hmph! Say whatever you like then! You've already gotten your revenge so it doesn't matter either way!"

"I have, haven't I?" He smugly agreed, still grinning with that same gloating air. When Computer continued to glare hatefully at him, he dropped the act. "C'mon, Compute. It's all in good fun. You don't have to get so angry."

The glowing dog slid around so that only his back showed. "I'm not angry!" He huffed.

"Says the sore loser!" He joked.

"Bah! I'm done playing these childish games!" He loudly announced. "You know, I would like to find some food sometime before we miss our bus!"

"Hey, you started it!" Courage cried out with even more fake outrage. "Who's the one being a child, Mr. Sore Loser?"

Computer whipped back around, teeth grit, but he apparently managed to force back whatever it was he was going to say. In yet another huff, he turned right back around again and began to shuffle out of the tunnel.

The legitimate anger burning in his eyes had seriously shocked Courage. There was no reason to get so angry over a bit of playful prodding. Worried that the machine might retain this mood for who knows how long, he quickly crawled after him, hoping to make amends.

"Hey, wait up!" He called out.

"I'm in no mood to talk to you right now." Computer grumbled, making no effort to slow down.

Desperate, Courage squeezed past him and then blocked his way. "C'mon, Compute. I was just playing around. Look, I'll let you dunk me in the ball pit if you stop being grumpy."

Computer grit his teeth, closed his eyes, and then shook his head in annoyance. "Don't hold me down like that!" He finally spat. "I can't stand it! And I don't care if it's meant to be '_fun_' either!"

Courage's stomach lurched. So that was what this all was about. It wasn't the silly prodding that had set him off.

"Oh..." He almost soundlessly exclaimed. "I'm sorry, I didn't think-"

Computer craned his head to the side. "You never do, do you?" He interrupted. "Whatever, it doesn't matter either way. You obviously meant no harm and I _did_ try to make a robot eat your brain. It's-" He let out a sigh. "all in good fun...I suppose."

"You'll stop being angry now?" He gently asked.

"I'm not angry!" The machine huffed. While he _was_ still glaring at the pink pup, it no longer held that same burning rage.

"If you say so." Courage laughed. "You're still just a sore loser."

"I'd rather be a sore loser than a pink, overgrown pansy!" His friend argued back.

They'd begun crawling again, both of them firing insults at each other the whole way. They soon hit the ball pit again, and, as Courage readied himself to jump back into the filth, a hard shove sent him belly-flopping into the nastiness.

"Hey!" He cried out, glaring up at Computer who was smiling slyly down at him.

"Now who's the sore loser?" He mocked. "Did you really think I wasn't going to get some payback?"

Courage, refusing to let him get away with such an act, grabbed a ball and threw it at him. The machine ducked out of the way but even he could not avoid the barrage that followed. Soon they were in an all out war yet again and neither of them were going to come out of it unscathed, or germ-free.

End Of Chapter


	4. Dinner For Twelve

Chapter 4: Dinner For Twelve

"You've got the worst throw ever, you know that?" Courage tiredly huffed as he climbed out of the tunnel.

"Well, you've had arms and plenty of hand-eye coordination practice you're entire life, so you don't have any place to talk." Computer quipped back as he too hopped out of the tunnel.

Exhausted, Courage went over to the first chair he could find and shakily climbed up onto it. He very nearly didn't make it even after a lot of huffing and puffing. All that playing around had sapped him of what little energy he had. He couldn't help but worry that another attack might be just around the corner. If his illness knocked him for several days again both he and Computer would be in a lot of trouble, especially in a place like this.

Speaking of Computer, he was eying him rather worriedly. "We shouldn't have kept going like that." He spoke. "Stay here and rest, I'll go find us dinner." He then took a moment to look around. "Although, I haven't seen anyone around serving food. There were a few people eating up at the front of the building before, aside from those idiots at the bar, but-"

He placed a paw to his chin as he pondered something, then nodded with new found confidence and said, "Alright, just rest here for a little while. I'll be back as soon as possible. Hopefully I'll have all this nonsense figured out before we run out of time."

"Compute, you've just got to find a waiter. This isn't a super important mission or something."

The machine waved his paw in a dismissive fashion. "Well, I for one don't want to go hungry so this IS important. We don't have much time left after all the mindless horsing around we did either. I especially don't want to miss the bus and get stuck in an unsavory place like this."

Courage was in no state or mood to argue with him. He just let out a small, halfhearted sigh and placed his muzzle down onto the table in front of him.

He heard Computer say, "I'm not so inept at flesh creature business that I can't even buy us dinner. I'm just trying to be safe rather than sorry."

He then said no more. The soft pattering of his feet steadily got farther and farther away until it was drowned out by the songs being played up on the stage by that moose and his friends.

Courage let out another sigh and closed his eyes. Soon his illness would never be a problem again. Soon his body would be healed and he could go back to doing whatever he liked without being tired or having to fear the pain that could strike at any moment. It was almost impossible to believe, but somehow, even after all the setbacks, they were nearing their destination. One day, not long from now, he'd be looking up at the mountain that would be his salvation. At this point, he refused to believe that the wellspring might not exist. They'd come too far and been through too much for it to all be for nothing. They'd make their own miracle if they needed to. Failure was no longer an option.

It didn't take long for him to fall into that strange twilight between sleep and wakefulness. The moose's song was a dull, far away ringing in his ears. The tension in his body seemed to be slowly easing up, but then a harsh whisper coming from several voice, nearly drowned out by the music, shocked him back into alertness.

_'He is not as he seems.'_

_'He is dangerous.'_

_'You are in grave danger.'_

_'You've made a terrible mistake in trusting him.'_

"Ah!" He yelped, sitting up so fast that he almost sent the chair toppling backwards with him. That crawling sensation under his skin had started up again. He viciously scratched at his arm, trying to make it go away. It felt like there were a million bugs crawling under his skin.

As he scratched and scratched, everything became a hazy blur. Then, the panicked desperation in his mind slowly faded and the crawling sensation went away with it. He suddenly realized what he was doing and looked down to find that he had been scratching his arm so hard that he had ripped off quite a bit of fur in the process. The exposed skin was red and obviously scratched up, but thankfully it wasn't bleeding.

"I-I barely even knew I was doing it." He whispered. "It was like-"

He shook his head, trying to clear it. The part of his arm that he had ripped up was thankfully small enough that Computer wouldn't notice unless he was intentionally looking for it. The last thing Courage wanted right now was questions. Besides, if he really needed to, he could just pull the remaining fur over the bare spot and it would do a decent enough job covering it.

"Hey! Courage!" He heard Computer call out, startling him. He'd been so engrossed in his own thoughts that the outside world wasn't registering with him very well. He felt like he was stuck inside his own head.

Taking a deep breath, he looked over to where Computer's voice was coming from. The machine had a paw waving in the air and was beckoning to him with the other. Despite how exhausted he was, he forced himself to get up.

"You look awful." Computer commented when he finally managed to shuffle over. "You're about as pale as a ghost. Have you been letting those robots scare you?" He asked.

"No." He quickly murmured out, shaking his head in a lethargic manner. "I'm just a little 'out of it' right now, that's all."

"It's probably best if you eat something and soon you'll have plenty of time to rest on the bus. Lucky for you, I have successfully completed my, 'mission', if that's what it's going to be called. Dinner is waiting for us over at one of the tables up near the front. I tried to get the idiot to bring the food down here but he was too busy gawking at me like I'm the strangest thing he's ever seen!"

Courage nodded and tried to blink the sleepiness out of his eyes. He was finding it very hard to overcome his tiredness. But, as Computer was saying, after getting some food into his stomach he'd have plenty of time to sleep.

The glowing dog led him over to where their food was waiting. The walk was enough to wake him up a little more but for some odd reason he couldn't shake the feeling that he could hear someone whispering. None of the words being spoken were intelligible, and the more focused he became, the quieter it got until finally it became nothing more than a sound like the buzz of electricity from the lights overhead.

"Alright, here we are!" Computer exclaimed in a surprisingly cheery tone.

Courage's mouth fell open.

There was no way that this was their table. It had enough dishes of food sitting on it to feed at least ten people, if not more, and it was certainly far more food than two dogs would be capable of finishing.

"C-Compute, what is this?" He gasped. "You could feed half the people in here with that amount of food!"

The glowing dog rubbed the back of his neck rather sheepishly. He appeared to be taken aback by his friend's outrage. "Oh, well. After carefully looking over the menu, I couldn't decide what to get, so I-" He hesitated for a moment, apparently not having expected this kind of reaction. "So I decided to get one of everything, because it was around that point when I realized that I really, really wanted to try all of it. So, uh, I just, er-" He slowly trailed off.

"There's no way we're going to be able to eat all of this!" Courage cried out, still in disbelief. "Are you crazy? We'd need at least twenty dogs to get through all of this!"

Computer crossed his arms. "If I didn't know any better, that sounds like a challenge! I bet I could clean this whole table alone!"

Practically fuming, Courage grit his teeth. "No! You're not going to do that! You'll get sick again!"

The glare Computer gave him could have killed. He hopped up into one of the chairs, clearly defiant, and grabbed a pair of silverware. His eyes only flashed downward once, daring him to try and stop him.

"Compute, the bus isn't going to wait for you if you get sick!" He argued. "They'll leave you behind!"

The machine let out a long, deeply disappointed sigh. "Fine, whatever you want, mom." He grumbled.

The food in question didn't look very good to begin with and was very clearly smothered in grease too. Courage eyed the dishes for several seconds longer and then climbed up into a chair beside Computer. Despite how unappetizing the food looked, he WAS unimaginably hungry and he figured that he might as well eat as much as possible if only to keep Computer from overeating himself.

Speaking of Computer, the glowing dog was still giving him a surprisingly angry glare. He hadn't touched so much as a pea upon getting scolded.

Courage shrugged. "Don't just sit there and glare at me like I'm the meanest person in the world, eat something."

The machine rolled his eyes. "Do I have your permission, dictator?" He snapped.

"Stop throwing a fit and eat. Geez, Compute. You've been getting angry way too easily lately."

"It's only because of you." He spat, completely serious in what he was saying. He turned up his nose and returned to his plate.

Courage watched as he angry piled food onto it. "Compute..." He gently spoke.

"Don't talk to me! I've got better thing to do, like stuffing my face, than to keep bothering with an idiot like you!" He snapped, utterly unapologetic.

"Computer, enough! What's your problem? There's no reason to lose your temper over something so stupid! I just want to make sure you don't overeat!"

The machine made no effort to answer him. He ate in complete silence, his eyes still burning with anger as he stared down at his plate.

Needless to say, their dinner was a silent one. Courage was far too tired to deal with his friend right now and it was probably best to let him fume by himself for a little while anyway. Thankfully, he did not overeat and stopped after finishing two platefuls. He patiently waited for Courage to finish up too, gazing rather regretfully over at him as he did so.

"Sorry." He finally said. "You're right, I can't afford to make myself sick, and I shouldn't have snapped at you either. It's just-" He let out a long, exhausted sigh. "You know that I'm on a clock and there's still so many things that I want to do, see, and try. I can't enjoy myself if you're policing me every step of the way."

Courage grinned. "Don't worry about it, okay? When we get back, I'll have Muriel cook you whatever you want! You're not about to keel over tomorrow, right?"

If Computer even had an answer for him, he didn't get a chance to say it. Roaring laughter both made them turn towards the bar where those, 'drunken idiots' as Computer would have called them, were pointing and laughing at the two of them. Sadly, their seating arrangement was just a little too close to the bar, and despite not provoking it, they'd gotten the attention of the bar-goers yet again.

Computer rolled his eyes and turned away. "Just ignore them. They probably think that I'm Area 51 alien or something stupid like that anyway. Hardly worth getting bothered by."

Courage nodded in agreement and then turned back around too. The jeering coming from the drinkers only grew more intense.

They tried to finish their dinner in peace, with Computer grabbing a few more thing to try, but then, as Courage munched away at a piece of pizza that was so greasy that it was more like eating slime, that Computer uttered out a small, "Uh, oh."

Courage glanced back over at the drinkers for a moment and then immediately snapped back around. Now he knew exactly why Computer had spoken. Three of the drunken idiots were swaggering over to them, laughing up a storm as a they did so. Whatever they wanted, neither he nor Computer had any interest in finding out. These people were obviously trouble.

"I think we've overstayed our welcome." Computer said under his breath. "Let's make a quick getaway."

Courage nodded in agreement once more. He quickly counted out the cash they needed to pay for their food and placed it on the table. Unfortunately, just as they both were about to jump out of their chairs and make a break for it, one of the drinkers caught up with them and snatched Computer right up out of his chair.

"Hey, put me down!" He yelled, thrashing around in vain.

"Whoa, look at this thing!" The drunken man giggled. "It's so...glowy."

The man's other two friends caught up with him. It was then when Courage decided to spring into action. He jumped out of his chair and growled, hoping that it might get his message across.

The lankiest one of the group seemed to find his act funny. The rail thin, Eustace-like man reached down and picked him up too, putting an end to what little threat he posed.

The man holding Computer, another stick thin drunkard, twisted him this way and that, trying to get a better look at him. He was dressed like a typical farmer and had blond hair so long that it quite literally covered his eyes.

The third man was the beefiest of them all. Garbed in hunting gear along with a pistol holstered to his belt, he was a very imposing figure. His bearded face was filled with a huge, if not slightly malicious grin.

"This one looks like a normal dog." The lanky man said, presenting Courage to them. "So what's up with that thing?"

The long-haired farmer examined Computer for a third time. "Donno what the heck it is. Ain't never seen anything like it."

There was a rumble from the hunter. "I know what it is." He said in a low voice, cracking his knuckles as if seemingly in preparation for something. "It's a nice look'n trophy waiting to happen. Bet it's head would look real nice on my wall."

Needless to say, the atmosphere in the room suddenly became very tense. Though the three men were still as joyful as ever as they tried to figure out what to do with Computer, both dogs eyed each other warily, wondering if the other had any idea what to do.

End Of Chapter


	5. Self-Defensed To Death

Chapter 5: Self-Defensed To Death

"C'mon, man. You want to hang everything on your wall!" The long haired farmer argued with the hunter. His speech kept slurring in a few places as he spoke. "If it were up to you, everythin' in that blasted swamp up north would have gone extinct years ago! Besides, I bet we could sell this thing to one of those sciency folk for sum good cash!"

The lanky drunk rubbed his chain. "Hey, didn't Robby shoot down that one duck with two heads a few years ago? Those science guys payed 'em quite a bit for the corpse."

The hunter let out a booming laugh. "Now you're speak'n my language!" He produced a pocket knife from his belt and placed it up against Computer's throat. "Let's slice this thing and split the cash! It'll be much easier than locking it up in a cage until one of those science guys show up! Maybe they'll even let me keep the head!"

Computer's eyes narrowed, clearly enraged by the treatment he was being given. Courage tried to escape his own captivity, but it was no use. He was far too tired to struggle and the lanky man was a lot stronger than he appeared.

"You think this thing is that, what was it called? That chupathingy? The one ol' granny used to swear up and down she saw walkin' through the bog all those years ago." The long haired farmer asked.

"It don't matter to me what it is just so long as it ain't breath'n!" The hunter chuckled.

"Gimme that!" The long haired farmer demanded, snatching the knife from the hunter's hand. "Yer gonna cut everyone's head off aside for the glowy creature's if you keep swinging it around like that!" He continued to hold Computer in one arm while pointing the pocket knife at his neck with the other.

"You're holdin' the knife all wrong!" The hunter yelled. "You ain't gonna kill nuttin' with a weak-ass arm like that! You'll cut yer arm off long before you slice that thing's neck!"

"I've been out hunting before, you overgrown meat sack!" The farmer cried out. "You ain't the only one around who knows how to cut with a knife!"

As they continued to argue, Courage's attention was caught by something that the others were far too occupied to notice. A soft squeaking noise made him look up and he found that one of the lighting fixtures overhead was slowly unhinging itself from the thick cable that attached it to the ceiling. The white, circled shape was directly over the long haired farmer who was still arguing that he could kill Computer just as efficiently as the hunter could. Then, without warning, it came loose and fell to the ground.

The three drunken fools were still fighting when the lighting fixture fell atop the long haired farmer's head. Said head had also ended up completely covered by it, like it were an oversized hat. A muffled cry of surprise issued forth from inside of it and the farmer dropped both Computer and the knife all at the same time.

The glowing dog landed neatly onto the floor. He snatched the knife out of the air and without a moments hesitation, plunged it into the farmer's leg. A much louder and much more horrifying cry echoed outwards. The farmer then fell to the floor, one hand trying to remove the lighting fixture that was trapping his head, and the other trying to grab at the knife now embedded in his leg.

Courage winced as he watched the spectacle unfold. There was an uncharacteristic level of brutality in Computer's actions that had shocked him to his core. The machine did not hesitated at all upon stabbing the man and Courage could only think of one other time where he had seen his friend act in such a fashion. It was when he had very nearly killed that Fear Eater after breaking it's power.

"W-what, what _was _that?" The lanky man stammered. Even he had figured out that something unusual was amiss.

"Forget that!" The hunter cried out. "The blue thing is free!"

Computer turned to the both of them. His eyes momentarily fell upon Courage, still trapped in the lanky man's arms, and his anger only seemed to become even more apparent. "Put him DOWN!" He demanded, clenching his fists with rage.

Above them one of the many ceiling fans scattered about the building began to speed up. Both drunkards and dog looked up just long enough to see it detach from its wiring and come whirling towards them. Both men ducked as it passed dangerously close over their heads. It sliced the hunter's hat in half before it went on to embed itself in the wall behind them. Needless to say, the lanky man let Courage go.

"Look, I-I dunno what's going on here, but it ain't worth even a sack full of cash!" He stammered out in terror. "I-I'm out!" He told the hunter before booking it out of there with his head held low, as though another ceiling fan might come after him.

"What a wimp!" The hunter boomed. "You always were a coward! Well, I know exactly how to fix this little problem. Forget the scientists, I'm gettin' me a trophy!"

Courage gasped as the man reached for his pistol. "Computer, run!" He cried out.

Too late. The hunter pulled out his gun and took aim...only to be greeted by a soft click instead of a bang upon pulling the trigger.

Computer glared viciously up at him. "Don't try that on me, you good for nothing fool!" He spat.

The hunter's expression became more and more dismayed as he repeatedly pulled the trigger, desperate to fire at least one shot. Computer, still glaring at him, took a single step towards him and that was enough to spook the defeated hunter out of his hopeless endeavor. He moved to holster his gun, but the moment he pointed it downwards it went off with a loud 'BLAM'. He was so startled by this that he dropped it right out of his hand. Instead of going to pick it up, he too turned tail and ran right out the door.

"That should do it." Computer muttered under his breath. "Bah! What a pack of idiots! Who do they think they are, treating me like I'm-"

A low moan caught both his and Courage's attention. They both turned to find that the long haired farmer was rising back up again, the lighting fixture in one hand and the knife in the other. The man had a dangerous gleam in his eye.

"I'm gonna...I'm gonna..." He repeated over and over again, stumbling forward in a rather pathetic manner thanks to his maimed leg. He took the circular lighting fixture and threw it at the two dogs who both easily jumped out of its way.

"You're not going to be doing anything anymore!" Computer practically snarled out. Courage was once again shocked by the sheer hatred in his friend's voice. It reminded him far too much of their time spent in the forest.

The man continued to stalk towards them with his knife raised into the air. Despite the anger in his expression, he still could do nothing aside from limp forward in a rather pathetic manner. Courage took that moment to look around and found that only the bartender over at his station was still watching with his mouth agape. It appeared that everyone else had made their escape after all the weird things had started to happen.

"Yer gonna make me rich!" The drunken man slurred out.

Courage grabbed Computer by the arm. "Come on, let's get out of here." He whispered. They had more than enough time to escape their injured adversary.

"No!" The glowing dog growled. "I'm going to make him pay!"

Courage wasn't having any of that, of course. He gripped Computer's arm even harder and tried to pull him away, but then the drunken man sprung into action. He put on a burst of speed and was just about to take a swipe at Computer with his knife...when several of the wires that had once been attached to the fan overhead, swung down and wrapped themselves around his neck.

Computer had an absolutely vicious expression on his face that frightened Courage enough to let go of him. The man was hoisted into the the air, his fingers ripping at his neck to no avail. His legs kicked helplessly.

"Computer, that's enough!" Courage cried out. "You're going too far!"

A deafening hum seemed to encompass the whole building. The lights overhead were suddenly getting very bright, as though they were being fed too much energy.

"Computer!" Courage yelled.

The man continued to kick uselessly as he swung mere inches above the ground. His attempts to pull off the wire noose around his neck were growing more and more frantic as his face turned a shade of purple.

Computer looked on, teeth grit with rage and fists clenched. He had not so much as blinked or broken his eye contact with the dying man upon stringing him up. Nothing Courage did was enough to get his attention.

"Computer, stop!" He demanded. "This isn't right!"

There was only one other thing he could do. The man had maybe a few seconds left to live and if he didn't act...

_**WHAM!**_

He struck Computer as hard as he could. At that moment, all the lights in the building burst at the same time with a loud pop, taking the power out with them. Though everything aside from Computer's glow went dark, Courage heard a thump which hopefully meant that the man had been released.

Computer turned to him with a glare that held the same amount of viciousness he had for his attackers. "What on earth did you do that for?" He yelled, clutching his muzzle from the punch he had received.

Before an answer could be given, the bartender ran over to them, his form illuminated by Computer's glow. He kept a 'safe' distance as he kneeled down to inspected the farmer who was now laying sprawled out, unconscious, on the floor.

The bartender looked up fearfully at Computer. "Don't try anything funny." He said in a small voice before turning his head towards where the bar would be in the dark. "Hey! Get on your cellphone and call 911! Hurry!" He cried out to someone unseen.

Computer was still livid. "How could you do that?" He demanded. "I trust you without question and you-"

Courage was finding that he too was becoming just as furious. "Don't give me that, Computer!" He yelled. "Did you even see what you were doing? You tried to cut someone's head off and then you hanged a person!"

"Are you blind?" Computer snapped. "It's you who should keep your eyes open! They were about to gut me and send my corpse off to a science lab! I wasn't going to sit around and wait to die!"

"That doesn't give you the right to start murdering people! You were perfectly capable of putting an end to that situation without killing someone!"

"I didn't see you trying to help!" The glowing dog angrily argued back. "I was defending myself, nothing more, nothing less!"

"You can protect yourself without doing something horrible like that!"

"I can't believe this!" He exclaimed, throwing his arms up into the air. "They were about to kill me! Why should I offer them mercy when they would never do the same for me? I have the means to defend myself from now on and I will use it to its fullest extent if I must! I'm not helpless anymore! Neither my once immobile machine body or this weak, sad excuse for a dog will leave me powerless any longer! I will not be pushed around or threatened ever again!"

Courage opened his mouth to argue, but Computer closed in on him until they were nearly nose to nose. The machine continued to speak with absolute venom in his voice. "I used to think that I was a pathetic, wimpy pacifist because I didn't want to do to other what had once been done to me, but I've come to realize that it was all just an excuse! I was powerless and never had the means to harm others even if I wanted to! Well, now I do, so it's simple. If you don't want to die, don't threaten me!"

Courage stood his ground and forced himself to stay calm instead of getting angry. "Compute, let me make this very clear. If don't want me to call you a creepy robot, don't act like one."

The machine's eyes widened, and then, defiant, he stuck his nose up into the air. "I won't apologize for defending myself!" He pushed past Courage and stomped towards the exit, absolutely fuming. He turned back only once to give Courage a surprisingly hateful glare. "If you EVER hit me again, you're going to regret it!"

Courage couldn't stop his mouth from falling open in awe. This wasn't the Computer he knew so well. How could this be? It was one thing to stand up for yourself, but to nearly kill a person in cold blood? What had prompted such an incredible shift in Computer's personality? Up until now, Courage had always thought that his friend was relatively non-violent, aside from a few extraordinary and deeply stressful situations that had brought out the worst in both of them. It was like Nina had often said, he's mostly a blue, glowing doormat.

"I don't believe it..." Courage whispered under his breath. "This isn't like him at all."

If his friend was like the way he normally was, he'd be horrified at such a prospect. He would never threaten to harm his dearest friend, not for any reason. Nothing would ever make him want to repeat what had happened to the both of them in the forest, or the things that happened in their nightmares.

_'We told you.' _Voices whispered in the dark.

Terrified, Courage bolted. Though he could not see anything, it felt like the owners of those voices were all around him, encircling him, trapping him. He ran headlong into the leg of a chair and nearly knocked himself out cold in the process. The buzzing had begun yet again, despite there being no power within the building. He could feel the machines crawling under his skin. It was not a dream! They were real! They had to be! Computer was lying! They were there, under his skin!

He began gnawing at his leg, biting it harder and harder. He could taste the blood in his mouth, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't make the crawling stop.

He could feel the presence of those unknown beings closing in on him all over again. He stopped his gnawing and ran. The dark was too complete. He could not find the exit or even the bartender that was trying to save that drunken farmer's life. The only thing he knew for certain was that those presences were following him and that the machines within his body had awakened anew.

Too tired to keep running and thoroughly lost in the dark, he collapsed into a heap. He buried his nose into the floor and grabbed his ears, shaking like a leaf. Even then he knew that the beings in the dark were closing in on him. He could feel their hands reaching out towards him.

"COMPUTER!" He screamed.

He didn't care if they were supposed to be fighting. He was just so scared. Those hands were going to drag him into the abyss. He was already surrounded by complete and utter darkness, the darkness he feared so badly. Had he somehow died? Why were those voices here then, tormenting him? How had their tiny, worm-like machines followed him into death? Perhaps there really was no escape from the crawling sensation that plagued him.

He jumped as a hand did indeed touch him. It took every fiber of courage he had not to scream in terror. They really were going to pull him into the void! Slowly opening his eyes, he was instead greeted by light, blessed, beautiful light. It was Computer who had a paw onto his should, not the voices lurking in the dark. His glow was the only thing that staved off the black and kept those awful beings away from them. Courage could still feel them there, watching maliciously from places where they could not be seen. Though Computer's light helped, it did not remove the darkness completely.

"Come on, let's get out of here." His friend spoke. All the anger seemed to have left him. "I heard sirens heading this way while I was outside and it appears that they're bringing more than just an ambulance. It would be best if we head back to the bus and lie low until it's time to leave."

Courage allowed Computer to help him up. It was clear by his expression that he was both worried and confused as to why he had found his friend crumpled up and trembling on the floor. He did keep his questions to himself however, as they both needed to hurry and get out of there. The sounds of sirens were indeed getting louder, loud enough to be heard inside the dinner. They needed to get out of sight as fast as possible. If one of the witnesses spoke to the police, it wouldn't be hard for them to find the only glowing, blue dog around.

End Of Chapter


	6. Hunted

A/N: Currently coughing up a lung and choking on snot, so I've had time to crack out a new chapter fairly quickly. Yay, I guess. It probably needs a bit more editing but I'm just a little too sick to care right now.

Chapter 6: Hunted

"How does that feel?" Computer asked as Courage laid his head down onto the bag that held their things. It wasn't particularly comfortable but it did get the job done.

"It's good enough." He answered before closing his eyes and letting out a huge yawn. They had managed to get to the bus unseen, but it wasn't scheduled to leave for a little while longer. Computer was keeping his head low as he sat in the seat to avoid any chance of being seen through the window.

"Dog, what on earth were you doing back there?" He finally asked. "I don't think I've ever seen you so scared before, and that's saying a lot." His eyes wandered downward until they fell upon Courage's bloodied leg.

Courage opened his eyes and sat back up. Despite his best efforts to not sound like a raving lunatic, he still couldn't stop himself from sounding like he had gone insane anyway. "It was those voices! They were there in the dark! They followed me no matter where I ran! T-those machines started to move inside my body again too! I-I tried to get them out, but-" He pointed down at his leg. "They're inside of me, I know they are! I-I can _feel _it!"

Computer looked on, unable to conceal his worry. "Courage, listen. When it comes to your illness, dogs start to get delirious and eventually hallucinate as it progresses. Normally this doesn't happen until they are far too sick to do much of anything anymore, but-" His voice trailed off. "You have been under a lot of stress these past few weeks so it's not out of the question that some of the symptoms of your illness are appearing sooner than others. What happened in the Dreamworld clearly traumatized you quite a bit too, so it isn't unlikely that your hallucinations would take on such a form either."

Courage's heart sank. "So you don't believe me then?" He asked, clutching his chest as though he could rip it open and show the machines inside. "You don't believe that they're really there?"

He shook his head. "It's always a possibility. The Dreamworld has done strange things to the both of us and it's not out of the question, but I would be able to sense those machines if they were there. It's possible that they manifested themselves in the real world, but the most logical answer to this mystery is that your illness is getting the better of you. I would know without a doubt if those machines were there."

Courage took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. Perhaps Computer was right. He _was _sick after all, and if he were hallucinating, he wouldn't know the difference between what might be real and what might be fake. He'd rather believe Computer than to argue against him like he were becoming an insane nutcase. Besides, knowing that this was a symptom of his illness rather than there being real machines in his body, it was a much more comforting thought. Even though he knew that he could feel the machinery resting under his skin, knowing that they were just a product of his own mind, it made him feel so much better about it. Soon they'd be gone along with his illness once they reached the mountain.

"But what about the voices?" Computer asked. "What have they been saying to you? I don't believe that they are capable of doing anything right now or that they actually have a means to speak to you, but I'd rather be cautious than not."

Courage, realizing how important this was, stared him directly in the eyes. "They told me that you are dangerous, and you've done plenty today to prove them right."

The machine's eyes widened in shock and he was rendered momentarily speechless.

"Compute, you aren't yourself anymore. I-I don't know what's going on with me, but you-"

With a huff, Computer turned his back to him. "I absolutely refuse to apologize for what I did back there! And no, I'm not any different from normal, I'm just taking my safety into my own hands from now on!"

"Compute, you were as good as a monster back there, and you threatened me too. You're letting that ability of yours go to your head."

Though Computer did not turn back around, his ears drooped. "Look, I didn't mean to threaten you like that, I just-" He shook his head and did indeed slowly swivel back around. His expression was filled with regret. "If what I said disqualifies me from the whole friendship thing, I will accept those consequences. I'm still committed to getting you to the mountain, that will never change, but if you don't want to talk to a 'monster' like me anymore, that's-"

Courage couldn't stop himself from feeling sympathy for his friend, despite what had just happened. The glowing dog sounded so genuinely upset at the possibility of them not being friends anymore that it was impossible for him not to.

"Don't sound so sad, Compute. Why would I ever want to stop talking to you?" He asked with a small smile.

The machine stared at him for one long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, all the tension left him and he seemed to relax. Even then he could not hide his obvious relief.

"I'm going to be completely honest with you." He muttered. "You're lucky that the power went out. I was so angry after you punched me that I would have turned on you had I still been capable of doing so. Actually, I'm pretty sure that I can move most metals and machinery without power, but it isn't the easiest thing to do. I suppose you're just lucky that I'm too lazy to put the extra effort into it."

Despite ending his confession on a more lighthearted note, an uncomfortable silence still fell between the two of them. His admission had left Courage feeling rather wary. He had been THAT close to turning on him? It was more than just a little unnerving.

"You need to keep your emotions in check." Courage quickly scolded him. "You've been through a lot and it's obviously caused you to not have the greatest grasp on your anger. I hate to say it but, you've got issues, Compute. Just because you've been abused in the past doesn't give you the right to blow up whenever a situation takes a turn for the worst. After what I did in that forest, I've being doing everything in my power to police myself. You need to do the same."

The machine's mouth had fallen open slightly upon being lectured. He looked as though he were about to protest but then thought better of it. Instead, he closed his eyes and shrugged.

"Fine." Was his brief and only answer.

Courage leaned forward and placed a paw onto his friend's shoulder. "C'mon, Compute. All I'm asking is that you don't turn into a psychopath whenever you get angry."

"I know, I know." He sighed, glancing elsewhere. "It isn't easy though. Apparently there are just as many idiots here as there are in Nowhere."

Courage laughed. "And I'm an idiot too, huh?"

"Of course." He sniffed. "I can't make any promises, but I'll try to be a little more 'gentle' the next time I'm beating up the fool who dares to antagonizing us again."

Courage nodded, satisfied with their 'bargain'. Curious to find out how things were going over at the diner, he peaked his head up to look out the window. Computer joined beside him, keeping his ears low as to avoid attracting the attention of anyone who might catch sight of his glow. He kept his head even lower than Courage as a precaution as well.

Police lights flashed red and blue, coloring both the diner and the gas station. The ambulance had long since left, leaving the fate of that man unknown. What really caught their attention however was that there was a steady line of at least fifteen black, unmarked vans making their way down the road. Each and every one of them either rolled into diner parking lot, or stopped in the middle of the road right in front of it.

"Who are they?" Computer asked.

As he said that, several people garbed in black exited the vehicles and went over to meet with the police. They were quite imposing indeed. The ones who did not join the police instead went to the back of their vans and began removing strange looking equipment.

"They look like they're from the secret service or the FBI." Courage mused.

"No..." Computer replied in a quiet voice. "They're something else, and I don't think I want to find out either."

They were both shocked to watch as one of the policemen guided those men over to his car and opened the door to reveal the two remaining drunkards from before. He gestured at them to get out and they did just that. Almost immediately, the men in black roughly grabbed them by their arms and forced them over to their vans. The back door of one of the vans swung open and two men, already inside, hoisted the drunkards up one by one. Then, the door slammed shut again and the van sped off into the night.

"That certainly doesn't offer me any comfort." Computer muttered rather frankly. He looked towards the front of the bus, suddenly growing impatient. "Where is the bus driver anyway?"

"I haven't seen any of the other passengers lately either." Courage added. "I thought that they'd might be in the gas station, but-"

"Maybe they were told to evacuate after the incident at the diner. Those people in black couldn't have gone and grabbed them if they've only just arrived here."

"What do we do now?" Courage asked. All of this was suddenly making him very nervous. What were those people going to do with the drunkards?

"We wait here and see what happens." Computer replied, an air of authority returning to his voice. "It won't do us any good if we leave now. They'd be able to see me far too easily in the dark."

Courage swallowed and tried to calm down. The men outside were still talking with the police, but then...they harshly grabbed the policemen by their arms as well? Courage's eyes widened with surprise as the men in black took the five, struggling policemen over to their vans and locked them inside.

"W-what's going on?" He whispered. How could they have the authority to do that to the police?

Computer suddenly gave a startled jump. "We need to go! NOW!" He yelled, grabbing their bag and sliding out of their seat in a rush.

"W-what? Why?" Courage asked, panic welling up inside of him as he trailed after Computer.

His glowing friend turned around only for a moment, but his expression was grave. "They're going to search the whole parameter! Yes, even this bus! We need to get as far away as possible! I have no intentions of getting caught by some creepy government organization!"

"H-how do you know that?" Courage stammered out.

"I can hear what they're saying to each other over their radios, now come on! We need to move!"

He grabbed Courage by the arm and pulled him into the seat beside the one they had already been sitting in. He climbed up and wrenched the window open before pushing Courage in front of him.

"Jump!" He commanded. "We can't go out the other side or else they'll see us!"

Courage nodded and did as he was told. He climbed up into the window and slid off, wincing when his feet hit the ground. It had been a much longer fall than he had anticipated.

Computer jumped out after him and wasted no time upon landing on the ground. He grabbed Courage by the arm yet again and forced him into a run. They angled around the front of the gas station, neither of them daring to look back to see if the men in black had caught sight of them. As soon as they were around the corner, they were in the clear, or at least for a little while. Courage took that moment to catch his breath. Away from any lights, the side of the building was pitch black aside from Computer's glow.

The machine moved past the huge dumpster that was pushed up against the side of the building. His eyes were trained on the forest that stretched out in both directions behind the gas station and the diner.

"We need to keep moving." He spoke. "They're going to search the forest too, but it's our best bet. I'm just too easily seen in the dark. We need to get as far away as we can before they start looking or else they _will _see me in that forest. If we can get far enough ahead of them, they won't be able to see my glow in the distance, but we've got a lot of ground to cover if we're going to do that."

Courage winced at the prospect. He was already exhausted to the point of collapsing and it was doubtful that he could do what Computer was asking of him. Regardless, he agreed to the plan. He didn't have any other choice, and thus they both made their way over to the forest. As soon as they were there, Computer grabbed his arm yet again and forced him into yet another run.

"Hurry! Hurry! We've got to go faster!" He hissed as they weaved between trees. "We're never going to outpace them like this!"

Courage was gasping for air. His legs burned but Computer continued to force him onwards at speeds that his failing strength could not handle. Though he wanted to protest, he knew that they'd be doomed if those people clothed in black caught them.

Computer let out a gasp and then looked up into the sky. "Quickly, behind here!" He cried out, pulling Courage over to the trunk of a fairly large tree. No sooner had he done that when the sound of a helicopter whirling through the air reached their ears.

Courage dared to peak around the corner and found that there was a giant search light heading their way. The tree trunk blocked Computer's glow from the helicopter's sight, and it thankfully passed over with little issue. The light shining down into the forest never came even close to finding them.

"Alright, we have to keep moving!" Computer quickly said.

Still panting, Courage shook his head. "Compute, I can't go on." He gasped.

The glowing dog's expression lightened, but worry still encompassed his every movement. "There's no way that I'm going leave you behind." He said, although his resolve was failing. "...But they'll catch me if I stay, and I don't-"

Voices echoed through the forest. Courage peaked around the tree trunk once more and saw that there were at least twenty flashlights gleaming in the darkness. All of them were heading in their direction from where the back of the gas station and diner would be. He bit his lip, unsure of what to do.

"Compute, you've got to go." He said, turning back towards him. "I can't keep running like this or else I'm going to throw myself into another attack. Besides, I can hide better in the dark than you can. There's still enough time for you to get away if you go now."

Computer gave him a long, hard stare, and then slowly nodded. "Okay..." He reluctantly agreed. "But, please be careful. You know how helpless you are without me."

He handed Courage their bag and then closed his eyes. "Judging by what I can see through their GPS, there's a road not far ahead if you just keep moving forward. Let's meet up there tomorrow morning." He opened his eyes back up again. "I'd like you to go back to the gas station and wait there until this all blows over. Avoid the people looking for me in the forest and you should be alright. They haven't said a word about you over the radio so I don't think they know that you even exist. They haven't been taking away anymore people either, so it's best of you head back to the gas station and don't act suspicious. It's better than them catching you in this forest. I don't know how far I'm going to have to run but I'll be sure to return as soon as I can. There's no telling how long they're going to search for me, but no matter what, let's aim to find each other on that road."

"You be careful too." Courage added. "I don't want to have to rescue you from Area 51, okay?"

The glowing dog gave him a small grin. "These people appear to have much worse waiting for me. Besides, I have no intentions of allowing myself to get caught. Their fancy equipment will do them no good as long as I have my power. I wish that I could speak to them over their communication systems and call this search off, but they'd only become suspicious if they hear a voice they don't recognize, and I know nothing of their command protocol either. I doubt I'd be able to sound very convincing." He then also added in, "They're so secretive. I can't get a name out of them or why they're so intent on catching me. They keep using different codewords when they speak to each other. My only guess that they're working for the government in some way."

"Please, Compute. You've got to go. There isn't much time left."

"Don't worry about me, Courage. I can best them with my power if I must. There is no gun that they can fire at me and I can cut off all of their communications in an instant. I don't want to provoke them if I can help it though. Neither of us know just how strong they really are or what abilities they might have at their disposal. I'll do whatever I need to do if I get cornered, but let's try to not attract their attention for as long as possible. You need to stay out of their sights as well. Let this blow over in silence and then we'll catch the next bus out of here."

With one last nod of acknowledgment to one another, they both parted in different directions. Courage listened as the fast pattering of Computer's feet got farther and farther away. He himself went in a big circle around the lights that were slowly spreading out into the forest. He exited not far from the gas station and slowly made his way back over there, keeping an eye out for any men dressed in black as he did so.

"Please be careful, Computer." He whispered, glancing back into the forest. Even now he could see that more men were heading inside. They practically had an army out there looking for his friend.

"Who are they?" He whispered, more confused than ever. He was starting to doubt if Computer really could evade so many people hunting him down. Frightened for his friend, Courage could only look on and curse his illness for separating him from Computer.

End Of Chapter


	7. Contaminated

Chapter 7: Contaminated

Courage kept to the shadows as he watched the continuing scene unfold. Computer had been right about there being an evacuation. Several police cars returned carrying the people who had been ordered to leave due to an 'animal attack' at the diner. Courage was able to overhear them talking about it. This also allowed him to finally leave his hiding place since there were now enough people around for his presence to go unnoticed. Between the gas station, diner, and a few other businesses down the street, there were plenty of people who'd been displaced. Though many of the men in black still remained, none of them took notice of the small, non-glowing dog. They were, however, going around and questioning people though.

Courage sat on the curb in front of the gas station as people either went inside, left to go back to their respective buildings or cars, or shuffled onto the bus that was finally preparing to leave. He couldn't stop the feelings of despair that rippled through him when the bus did indeed finally pull out of the gas station and roll away, leaving him behind in a place that he knew nothing about. To make matters worse, his worry for Computer only seemed to grow as every second ticked by. Though he would not have been much help either way, he hated knowing that he had been forced to leave his friend to content with those people all by himself.

Speaking of which, the men in black appeared to be expanding their search too. Though several of them remained to keep an eye out for Computer, the rest returned to their vans and left. There was no doubt in Courage's mind that they were taking the vans elsewhere to expand their search even farther from the diner. They would never give up this easily, unless they had somehow caught Computer...

No, he refused to believe that that was the case. Helicopters were still flying overhead every couple of minutes and they wouldn't be searching like that if Computer had been caught.

Over at the diner, a few of the remaining men got into the five abandoned police cars and drove away in them. Courage looked on, filled with wary. It was like those people were erasing the policemen from existence. It almost seemed like they were treating anyone who might have had even the slightest chance of coming into contact with Computer as if they were contaminated with some deadly disease. Well, it was obvious that he wasn't toxic or carrying a virus. Perhaps these people were simply assuming the worst since they knew nothing about the glowing dog.

Courage got up and headed inside the gas station upon the last of the remaining crowd of people leaving. He didn't want to be the only one out there if the men in black were still going to be lurking about. It was as Computer had said, he needed to avoid attracting any attention. The very last thing he needed was to arouse the suspicion of those people. If he could just survive this night without making his presence known, everything would be alright. Those men had no reason to notice him, unless...

His heart nearly stopped as the realization struck him. Plenty of people at the diner had seen him with Computer! All of them could have easily been taken away by those men in black and were now probably being questioned, if not being treated to something even worse. Though Computer had said that the men in black were not talking about him over the radio, that could soon very well change!

Trying not to panic, he calmly walked into an aisle. He was using it as a means to conceal himself from the front windows. Taking a deep breath, he waited for his heart to stop pounding. As he pretended to browse through the candy and chips, he tried to formulate a plan.

_'Where do I go?' _He thought to himself. '_Where can I hide?'_

The forest was crawling with those men right now so he had no chance of hiding in there, and while he could start walking down the street to look for somewhere else to go, it wouldn't be hard for the people driving those vans to spot him either.

"I can't stay in here." He whispered to himself. "Not unless I can find a way to hide in the backroom, but they might search in there too."

His heart nearly stopped for a second time when he heard the front doors of the gas station slide open. The heavy tromp of boots only confirmed his fears. He watched with his breath held as two men clad in black armor stomped past the aisle he was standing in without looking his way even once. What struck him the most was that they were wearing gas masks. It made them look even more eerie and even a bit inhuman. He was once again left wondering why they were acting as though Computer might be toxic.

Tip-toeing over to the edge of the aisle, he peeked around the corner to find the two men talking to the young and obviously frightened cashier.

"I didn't see anything, alright?" She spoke. "The police had everyone evacuate the moment they got the call that there was an animal attack. Nobody saw anything." Her eyes narrowed questioningly. "Hey, aren't you guys with the police? Aren't you those Animal Control people or what?"

"In a sense, yes." One of the men spoke. His voice was muffled because of the gas mask. "The situation is being taken care of. Do not go wandering around once your shift ends. Stay inside as soon as you get home."

The second masked man leaned in closer to the other and whispered, "This place has already been searched. Command says to keep finding more witnesses to questions. If anyone knows anything, take them in to be processed. It looks like ol' Astor herself has taken a personal interest in this incident, so let's not screw anything up on her watch."

"It's something big, huh?" His partner chuckled. "I know they've got us on high alert, but we've dealt with much worst than this. It doesn't even sound that dangerous from the description I was given. You're new, aren't you? You should see the scars I've got from-"

The second man interrupted him. "They're saying that it's a lot more dangerous than it looks, and they always told us in training that we should never judge a book by its cover or else it might just vaporize us. Command says that it may be an escaped experiment, but they need visual confirmation first."

"Escaped?" His partner exclaimed. "When's the last time anything has ever escaped from-" He stopped himself mid-sentence and glanced back over at the cashier. "Let's keep moving." He amended himself, backing away somewhat. "I'm hearing that they're going to quarantine us too once this is all over with, so let's hurry and finish up.

"It's that bad?" The second man asked.

"Yep, they've got to check everybody who might have had even the slightest chance of coming into contact with it. Apparently it has some weird virus attributes to it, but I wasn't authorized to get all the information on that."

"No wonder they've got us on high alert. If they end up having to quarantine this whole area, it's going to be a nightmare."

"It may be even worse than that. A buddy of mine told me that they think it might be able to cross contaminate too. They're going to check all of our equipment when we get back and if they have to round up all the machines in the area to check them as well, it really is going to become a mess."

"It can infect machines too?" The second man asked. "Sounds like something 'we' would make after all? I wonder how it got out though. We've had only a few containment breaches in all of our-" The man fell silent and then put one of his hands up towards the side of his head. "I'm getting some new orders." He said in a much louder voice, no longer caring if anyone heard him. "A witness claims that they saw a small, pink dog travailing with the target, same breed as it. I'm being told that everyone on the ground should keep an eye out for it. They're saying that it's very likely been contaminated and it will become a hazard if it's not caught."

Courage gulped fearfully. On nearly silent paws, he slowly tip-toed backwards until he was in the middle of the aisle, still out in the open.

"Let's move out." He heard one of the men say. "If you see anything suspicious, contact us." He must have been talking to the cashier.

Trying to stay as quiet as possible, Courage slowly made his way to the other end of the aisle and whipped around the corner just as the men in black tromped by at the other end. It thankfully appeared that they weren't going to search the gas station again.

Clutching his chest, Courage let out a weak sigh. This wasn't good. His worst fears had been confirmed. It had taken awhile, but someone had finally said something about him to the mysterious organization. He was, at the very least, lucky that those two men had been so chatty. Perhaps the others weren't as quick to talk in places where they could be overheard, but those two men had unknowingly 'leaked', if it could even be called that, several interesting bits of information. The most important thing was that they had confirmed that Computer was still out there and still on the run.

Courage shook his head in disbelief. Computer was meant to be some kind of experimental virus? That didn't seem very likely. He could only assume that the men in black were wrong or had mistaken Computer for someone or 'something' else. Regardless, he suddenly found himself thinking about those voices and the awful crawling sensation they brought on. Were they some kind of virus? Could Computer have infected him with something without knowing it? No, that didn't seem very likely either. Computer had dealt with those voices himself and unless he was able to just as easily infect himself, it didn't seem possible. Besides, if that were the case, why would the symptoms only show up now? He'd lived up in that attic for many, many years and neither Eustace or Muriel ever complained of being chronically ill or hearing voices in their head. And even more so, how could he be an escaped experiment when he'd lived so long on the farm as well? Heck, he'd had many owners for many years before that too. Sure, he's missing a lot of memory, especially from his past, but an unknowingly escaped infectious experiment?

Well, none of that really mattered either way. Courage knew without a doubt that Computer was not making him sick, nor did it matter if he was an escaped experiment or not. Neither of them wanted to be caught by those ominous people and they were both going to do whatever they needed to to stay out of their clutches. Sure, Computer was capable of doing great harm with that strange ability of his, as he had shown tonight, but he was not a dangerous monster that need to be captured and locked away for the good of the people. There was no reason to doubt his nature or intentions, but there were more than enough reasons to doubt the intentions of those mysterious men.

Courage, trying to think up a plan, wheeled back around into the aisle and grabbed a few snacks off of the shelves. It was best to stock up now while he still had a chance. It was better than waiting until possibly getting stuck somewhere and being left with an empty stomach. He then moved rather quickly over to the checkout and paid for the food before stuffing it into his bag. As he was doing that, he caught sight of some souvenirs next to the cash register. Most of them were actually advertisements for the diner. The one that stood out to him the most was a miniature, silver moose that was made to look like that giant moose statue outside. Grinning, he figured that he'd buy one for Computer. Goodness knows, his friend was going to need something to cheer him up when they'd finally meet up again. And yes, they were going to meet up again. Courage refused to believe that they wouldn't. He'd sneak into the headquarters of those mysterious people and rescue his friend if he had to. Computer was just as important to him as Muriel and he would do the same for him as he would do for her in a heart beat.

As the cashier rang up the moose, she gave him a long, hard look. Actually, she'd been sizing him up the entire time he'd been there. "They're looking for you, aren't they?" She finally asked.

He gulped and found his ears drooping involuntary. He considered bolting out the door, but he knew that he was far too tired to get anywhere.

"Don't worry." She quickly added. "I won't say anything to them. They give me the creeps and I doubt they really are working with the police. You don't look like a wild, raging animal either, but I bet they'd take you in and treat you like you've got rabies anyway."

He nodded in agreement and took the tiny moose before stuffing it in the bag. Looking back up at the cashier, he tried to convey how grateful he was to her that she wasn't going to snitch on him.

"Garbaru." He said in his dog speak. He could have made a better effort to speak English, but he was much too tired to bother and he often found that some people never understood him no matter how hard he tried to speak like a human.

"Stay safe out there." The cashier told him. "You're going to have a hard time avoiding those guys. I'd take you home with me, but I've got allergies and and I don't want to get mixed up with those people again. You're a cute doggy though." She laughed.

He smiled up at her and wagged his tail. Perhaps if she were a little older, she would have ratted him out without a second thought, but his 'puppy' charm had won her over for now. Too bad she couldn't offer him a place to hide.

He turned around and made his way over to the sliding doors. Checking to make sure that none of the men in black were around, he cautiously stepped back out into the night with no idea where to go, where to hide, or where to even start looking for Computer. It was going to be a long night indeed.

End Of Chapter


	8. A Plea

A/N: Chapter 69 of Volume I has been revised. To answer one reviewer's question. No, volume II is not going to take another four years to complete. There were many times during Volume I where I would not update for several months at a time. As it stands now, I have a somewhat consistent schedule in that I try to get a new chapter out at least once every two weeks, give or take. Not only is volume II probably going to be quite a bit shorter than Volume I, a quicker release schedule means that it will probably be done sooner too. Speaking of length, I do not know how long exactly it's going to become nor how many chapters it will take. It will be done when it's done and if it overtakes Volume I in length, though very unlikely, so be it. I've got a story I want to tell and it will be over whenever it's over.

Chapter 8: A Plea

Courage warily made his way over to the spot where he and Computer had originally fled from the men in black. The right side of the gas station was incredibly dark without Computer's glow and not even the dumpster could be seen pushed up against the wall anymore. If there was supposed to be a light, it had either long since burnt out or nobody had bothered to turn it on. Courage fumbled around blindly as he tried to find the dumpster in hopes of using it to get his bearings. At the very least he could no longer see the flashlights that those men were carrying around in the forest, nor could he hear anyone nearby. Hopefully that meant he would be safe in the dark, but there was no telling if the mysterious men would do a second search of the gas station just to be thorough.

He placed a paw up against the side of the building and walked forward, keeping the other outstretched to feel for the dumpster so that he wouldn't run into it nose first. Rather than find the dumpster, he instead hit a pile of boxes which he still managed to knock over despite his careful movements. They did not make much sound as they fell though and he soon realized that they had been piled up next to the dumpster because he only needed to take two more steps before his paw touched the icy metal.

An idea struck him. While he wouldn't be able to climb up into the dumpster, he would be able to hide inside one of those boxes. It wasn't the best plan of action, but wandering around would only make him an easy target and he was far too tired to run if the men in black were to indeed spot him. He'd rather take his chances hiding out here tonight than to walk around out in the open. If those men did search the gas station again, well, he'd deal with that when or 'if' it happened.

He felt around for one of the boxes and found it with ease. Then he propped it up against the wall and started to look for a few more. He soon slipped into the box and piled up the rest around him. This would at least conceal him from view and would hopefully keep anyone from becoming suspicious. The only way he might be found now was if someone deliberately looked through all the boxes or picked up the one he was hiding in.

He closed the top of his box and curled up with a yawn. Every muscle in his body ached. It was hard to believe that just a little running around and crawling through tunnels had exhausted him this badly. He felt just as lacking in energy as he had once felt before the start of this journey. Those horrible months on the farm when his illness had first emerged had been the worst. The symptoms kept getting stronger and stronger until he was finally so tired that most of the time he couldn't even walk from one end of the house to the other without collapsing. There had, of course, been a brief respite during a large portion of this journey where he had 'almost' felt like normal, though he could never fully escape those attacks. Even Computer had commented on how much better he had been. It was obvious that the flicker of energy that had sustained him for so long was now failing. His nearly week long 'nap' back at Nina's place was proof of that. How long he would be able to hold out until he became just as tired and useless as he had been back on the farm, he didn't want to think about it.

"Only a little more to go." He whispered to himself, as though his weakening body would actually listen to him. "If I can just keep Computer out of trouble, and if I can keep those FBI guys from following us, we'll reach that mountain soon enough. I've just got to hold out for a little while longer..."

Try as he might, he couldn't completely convince himself, not with things the way they were right now. Computer's mischief could be handled under normal circumstances, but with those men now knowing about their existence and with Computer still missing or possibly captured, how would they ever get back on track in time? He might only be one attack away from-

He swallowed and shivered at the thought. No, no! He needed to think positive! It was when he had started thinking positive at the start of this journey that his illness had begun to loosen its hold on him.

Computer! He needed to have a little more faith in Computer! He's perfectly resourceful! He'd evade the men hunting him and they'd both be on a bus out of this godforsaken place tomorrow!

….Or maybe he'll run in head first, guns blazing, just to prove to those men that he's the most awesome blue, glowy thing in the universe. Despite everything that had happened over the course of their adventure, it was clear that it had not humbled him completely and this ability of his was already bring out one of his worst aspects all over again. Obviously a little 'Mega Muriel' was still left in him and that did not offer any comfort for Courage at all. There was no doubt that the machine must have had heard the orders to find a 'small, pink dog' over the radio, and as far as Courage knew, he could already be out there battling with those men under the assumption that they had captured his friend. The prospect of it only made Courage worry even more. Why, oh why, couldn't Computer keep his nose out of trouble?

Well, worrying wasn't going to do him any good like this. He was stuck here, and he wouldn't have been any help to Computer even if he had somehow found the strength to keep up with him anyway. This was the best place for him right now, out of sight and not on the run where he would easily be captured or suffer from an attack.

He closed his eyes and tried to calm his racing mind. Computer would be fine. Despite how much trouble it had caused, his ability would be able to save him if he couldn't keep ahead of his pursuers. Yes, those men are very mysterious, and yes, they may have the means to nullify or jam his power, but it was just as likely that they might not.

Courage quickly found himself getting sleepy, despite the circumstances. It wasn't hard when he was so tired. Though it only took him a few moments to fully fall asleep, his sleep in question was restless. He tossed and turned in the box, stuck in a strange twilight between sleep and wakefulness. The voices were agitated. He could feel their frustration as his own. They whispered continuously in the dark, their words too quiet to be understood. Courage would briefly catch a sentence or two, but none of it made any sense. There was one phrase, however, that he could hear clearly. They repeated over and over again in their agitation, to the point of where it was driving him to near madness. He couldn't block it out no matter how hard he tried.

_**Too soon.**_

_**Too soon.**_

_**Too soon.**_

They repeated it endlessly. Though they were not focused on Courage at all, their chanting was smothering him, both in his mind and through his body. It was like a genuine physical force, masked by the darkness. He could feel a heavy weight was pressing down on him, crushing his torso.

Fearful that he really was being crushed, he sat up, proving that there was nothing there. Despite that, he could still feel the heavy pressure all over his body. Half asleep, the darkness all around him appeared to be alive in his sleepy mind. Every once in awhile he would see a flicker of movement in the infinite black. He'd reach a paw out to grab it, but he'd only touch the inside of the box.

The chanting never ceased. He wanted to rip his ears out and finally block the sound out, but it seemed to be coming from inside of him as well. Soon the voices were joined by other sounds. Courage could hear the rumbling of some great machine just outside of his box fortress. It terrified him. He could almost see a huge, metal foot crushing his tiny box from within his mind's eye. He saw it in near perfect detail, to the point of where it was almost reality. He could hear screaming and smell of burning. What was going on outside? Was that machine really out there?

He desperately reminded himself that this was all just in his head. He was sick after all. His exhaustion was bringing on these hallucinations. They weren't real. There wasn't really a machine outside burning the buildings and forest to the ground.

As he tried over and over again to convince himself that this wasn't real, the darkness suddenly exploded into bright, crimson light. He had to close his eyes to shield them from the sheer brightness. He could feel his fur ruffling from what was apparently the wind and he could feel a powerful heat warming his body. When he opened his eyes, he found himself sitting in the middle of a destroyed road. The buildings on both sides of him were burning with such heat that it was practically charring his fur into ash. Actually, _everything _was burning. No matter which way he looked, he only saw fire.

Towering over him in the distance was a massive, twisted, mechanical mountain made up of various parts. A single, glowing eye gazed down upon him from the top of it. He could only look up in awe because he had no place to run or hide from it. He could feel that great being's seething hatred pulsing through his own veins. He wanted to punch and kick things until he had broken every last object he could find. He wanted an outlet to release all of his anger onto, regardless of how much damage he might do. That was the desire of this great, towering machine. It hated everything and it would not stop until every last person and object was destroyed, no matter what the consequences of what such an action might be. If the Earth became a charred husk because of it's rage, it cared very little. It was almost mindless in it's blind hatred of all things.

Then, much to Courage's surprise, the heat diminished. Clouds welled up in the sky and blocked out the crimson light. Rain began to pour down onto the ruined street and the burning buildings became mere burnt out skeletons.

The great mechanical mountain seemed to diminish, it's large eye dulling in color. It's twisted form hunched over to the point of where it looked like it was about to topple over.

_**Help us.**_

Courage's eyes widened in shock. There was no mistaking the desperation and weariness in the tone of those voices. They sounded like they were crying.

_**We cannot stop. **_

_**We are so tired. **_

_**We just want it to end.**_

He was at a loss for words. Those voices had never shown anything except for outright malice. Why were they changing their tune now? They sounded so uncomfortably close to Computer when they spoke of being tired, just like he often did. Courage could easily sense their exhaustion through the strange link they had. Just what were these beings? There was clearly several of them, but they also seemed to comprise a single, massive being. There was little to no autonomy between them. They were...mashed together, in a sense. That was the feeling that Courage got from them.

"What can I do to help you?" He asked in a weak voice. He wasn't even sure if he could be heard over the sound of the rain. "What's wrong with you? I-I'm not sure what good I'll be, but I can try to fix whatever-"

There was an explosion of sound. Courage nearly fell unconscious from the sheer expression of rage that struck him. The sky turned crimson once more and the city around him burst into flames anew. He had to fight just to stay conscious. Their feelings of hatred, anger, and betrayal were so strong that it blotted out every other thought. They were quite literally incapable of thinking about anything else. Their mind was set on one thing and they could not stop themselves even if they wanted to.

_**'NO! We do not need any help!' **_They screamed. Courage could sense them writhing about in agony inside of his mind. There was something fundamentally wrong with them, something irreparably broken._** 'There is no stopping! Our revenge is nearly upon us! There will be nothing left when our rage subsides! We will make them pay for what they did to us! We will become exactly what they wanted us to be! They will know fear!'**_

Courage opened his mouth as tried to find the words that might be able calm them back down. He was going to to offer his help for a second time, but before he could say anything a gust of wind blew a pile of ashes into his face and he was forced to close his eyes to quell the hot pain. When he opened them again, he was met only by darkness. The raging fires were gone. No great eye looked down upon him any longer.

He reached a paw out and felt the inside of his box. This confirmed that he was back. The voices were still whispering from within the darkness, but it was much more subdue now. Their emotions could no longer be felt, but Courage could still tell that they were frustrated. They still had that frantic edge to their whispering.

He knew now without a doubt that this was not a hallucination brought on by his illness. Somehow the Dreamworld had linked him to these beings and that link was still persisting long after the connection had been made. If he could still be linked to Computer as a 'side effect', who's to say that the same couldn't happen with these voices? Though he did not like how this connection was manifesting, especially after how they had tortured him in the Dreamworld and especially with the way they were tormenting him now, but they _were _reaching out to him for help in some strange, twisted way. Had they tried asking Computer for help too? If they had, he'd never said anything.

The noises outside of his box were growing ever louder still. It was a constant frightful clatter and he could still see things moving around in the darkness. He was very close to fleeing from his hiding place just to get away from it all but he was just as afraid to find out what might be going on out there. His fear was the only thing that kept him rooted to the spot, shivering in terror. Then, pain erupted from his chest. He knew immediately that he was having an attack. The voices kept on whispering, oblivious to the agony he was in. He would have thought that they'd relish any pain that he might be suffering from, but their attention was still focused on something else entirely. The unconsciousness that came with an attack rushed up upon him quickly. He was almost happy because it was the only thing that would free him from all the chaos. The sounds, the whispering, the movements in the dark, it all faded away along with his consciousness. It was the closest thing to a decent sleep that he was going to get and even that was not saying much.

End Of Chapter


	9. Through The Fog

A/N: I've begun a preliminary music page for All Things End with links to the songs and where to play them on my Tumblr blog. If you are interested in such a thing, there's a link in my profile to the blog post.

Chapter 9: Through The Fog

It was freezing. When Courage awoke, his paws were numb from the coldness. Light filtered into the box through the small crack at the top and he found that both his vision was blurry, as it always was after an attack, and his head was spinning. A sharp headache made him groan as he tried to block out the light.

He lay there for awhile, waiting for his body to recuperate. Questions rolled through his dazed mind. How long had he been out? Was Computer alright? Had those mysterious men finally gone away? He sucked in a sharp, cold breath of air and when he exhaled, he could see the frosty breath in front of his face. He'd almost forgotten that outside of Nowhere, it was nearing winter.

Worry coursed through him as he tried to pull his thoughts together. There was no telling how long his attack had knocked him out. For all he knew, he could have just spent another near week sleeping. Computer would be long gone by now, either captured or moved on somewhere else trying to find him. They'd never be able to find each other again if that were the case.

He shook his head, regretting it almost immediately as it brought on a new wave of dizziness. No, there was no way that he could have been knocked out for a week. Someone would have come to collect the garbage by now if that were the case and he would have been taken along with it. As far as he could tell, he was still in the same place.

Wanting to make sure that he really hadn't been dumped in a junkyard, and equally curious to find out if the gas station still existed at all after all the chaotic noise last night, he prepared himself to stand up. The voices had gone mercifully silent, allowing him some peace of mind, but he was still wary as to why they had been so active last night, 'if' it had even been last night. The total loss of time awareness was seriously starting to get to him.

Try as he might, he couldn't stand. He was just too tired and his legs didn't want to work. Instead, he simply sat up, fighting off a wave of dizziness as he did so, and opened the box. It was still propped up against the gas station wall, which thankfully hadn't been burnt to the ground like his delusions last night might have suggested. He pushed the rest of the boxes out of the way and found that everything around him was covered in a thin layer of frost. A heavy fog had also accompanied it, making it difficult to see even the forest behind the gas station. Courage gripped his head. The sun wasn't even out and yet the meager amount of light was still enough to aggravate his headache. He wanted to shut the box right back up again and go back to sleep, but no, there were more important things to do.

He had to fight with his body just to stand up. The muscles in his legs shook dangerously and as he attempted to step out of the box, the leg he was balancing on crumpled like a piece of paper. He collapsed, taking the box with him. His muzzle hit the pavement surprisingly hard and he hissed at the sharp pain that accompanied it. His headache was suddenly throbbing ten times harder.

"Move!" He urged, trying to push himself back up off the ground, but his arms gave out as well, unable to carry his weight. "Come on, move!" He growled, refusing to give up.

He eventually managed to push himself back up into a sitting position, but trying to walk was going to be challenge in itself. He took a moment to catch his breath and let his beating heart calm down a bit before attempting the once simple act. It took several failed tries before he was just about ready to give up. His body was simply too worn out to walk without help. It was just like how he'd been after the last attack at Nina's place. Maybe he really had slept a whole week without knowing it.

"What am I going to do?" He groaned, staring up at the foggy sky. He watched his breath form into little clouds over and over again as he tried to think of both a way to overcome his illness and to rest long enough to regain what little strength he had. "How am I ever going to find Computer like this?"

Stifling another groan, he closed his eyes. There was no way that he was going anywhere like this. He needed more time to recuperate from his attack. His body just did not want to function right now. If only there was some way he could contact Computer and find out if he were okay, but-

His eyes shot back open as a possibility raced through his tired mind. He 'did' have a way to contact Computer, one through the connection that the Dreamworld had instilled between the two of them, but would it work? There was no guarantee that Computer would be asleep right now, and they only ever seemed to connect through their nightmares. Would they even be able to communicate in any meaningful way while suffering through a nightmare? It was a long shot, but worth a try none the less. There was nothing else that Courage could do right now, not so long as he couldn't walk. Not only would he get the rest that he so badly needed, but he might be able to talk to Computer too and find out what's going on.

He dragged himself back over to the box, now turned over on its side, crawled into it and closed it back up again. Light once again only filtered through that one single crack. He closed his eyes and immediately found himself drifting off to sleep with ease. When he awoke again, with little idea how long he had slept, he was dismayed to realize that he hadn't dreamed at all, much less shared a nightmare with Computer.

Toppling out of the box, he found that it was still foggy outside, but also a tiny bit warmer. If he hadn't slept an entire day away he figured that he must have woken up very early in the morning before and it now might be somewhere around noon. If only the sun would come out, then he'd have a better time trying to figure out what the hour might be.

He found that he could now stand without his legs giving out, though the mere effort of it left him gasping for breath. He knew that he probably needed a few more hours, or possibly days worth of rest before he'd be well enough not to become strained by doing such a mundane task, but he couldn't wait any longer to begin his trek towards the road that Computer had told him to seek out. Because his dream plan had turned out to be a bust, he had no other choice. He could only hope that if a few days really had passed, that Computer would still be waiting for him out there regardless.

He pulled a granola bar out of his bag and munched on it as he hobbled over to the forest. Clearly it had been a good idea to stock up on food after all and he badly needed the energy either way. As he walked, he noted that the fog obscured enough of the landscape that if those men were still searching the forest, they would not be able to see him unless they smacked right into him. Though Computer would still have trouble, as his glow would still be seen in the fog, Courage himself could evade those men if need be. He'd be able to hear them coming a mile away and that would give him enough time to hide. Hopefully it would not come down to that. Surely those men had given up or moved on to search somewhere else by now.

Now that he was insides the forest proper, he stopped for a moment to allow himself some rest. Pushing his ill body too hard would only end in disaster. As worried as he was, it would do him no good if he threw himself into another attack or overworked himself to the point of where perhaps his heart might give out. It was certainly not out of the question. Sudden death was always a concern when it came to his illness.

Feeling a little better after his rest, he pushed onwards. The forest was so eerily quiet in the fog. Every sound was muted and even his own feet crunching the leaves and twigs barely made any noise. The thought of getting ambushed by those men was suddenly weighing very heavy on his mind. The only consolation he had was that he made just as little sound as they would. It would be very hard for them to ambush him if they couldn't find him to being with.

He stopped again after walking for a good ten minutes. His progress was slow but steady. Though he was still incredibly tired and achy, as soon as he got into a good rhythm he could largely ignore the worst of his symptoms. He figured that if he could keep this up with a few breaks in between, he'd be able to make it to the other end of this forest pretty soon.

…...

A little less than an hour later, and after many much needed breaks, he finally found the road he was looking for. It cut right through the forest, with the trees continuing onward in both directions. He kept himself hidden behind a tree trunk as he tried to figure out what to do next. A pair of headlights lit up the fog and he flinched as he peaked out of his hiding place to watch it go by. Despite expecting it to be one of those black vans, it was instead a normal, everyday truck. He let out the breath he had been holding in and forced himself to relax. It wouldn't do any good to start panicking now.

The question had become a simple one. Should he wait here or go looking for Computer? As far as he knew, the glowing dog might already be out there looking for him and if he were to leave, they might never come across one other. Given his already sickly state, it was probably best to wait there until Computer found him. On the other hand, there was no telling where his friend might be or if he had even escaped those men. If several days had passed, he might have given up or gone looking for him somewhere else by now.

Courage bit his lip and peaked out again, hoping to see that familiar blue glow walking in amongst the fog. He glanced both up and down the road, but there was nothing. He quickly decided that he'd wait a few hours and if Computer did not show up, he'd go looking for him himself. If only they had a better way of staying in touch. You'd think that a weird, robot dog would have a built in cellphone or something.

Making himself comfortable at the base of the tree, Courage pulled out a few snacks and made a meal out of them. If it had been noon when he set out, it would be around two now. It would get dark around seven and he certainly did not want to get stuck out here in the dark, especially not after what happened the last time he had spent a night in a forest. He had no idea which direction would lead him back to civilization, or Computer for the matter, but he was not going to camp out here tonight, not on his life.

An hour passed by without issue. Feeling much more well rested, he took to pacing up and down the road, only retreating back into the forest when needing to hide from oncoming cars. It was while he paced that a single shaft of light broke through the cloud cover, soon followed by another and then another. The fog began to disperse almost immediately and the forest lit up with a golden light. Soon any trace of cloud cover was gone and with the clear skies came much warmer weather. It no longer felt like it was about to start snowing at any moment.

Another hour slowly ticked by and Courage was getting impatient. He would have to leave soon if he wanted to be out of this forest before nightfall. The road had to lead somewhere and hopefully it would be a town of some kind. He did consider going back in the direction he had come from, but he was also still holding out hope that maybe he'd run into Computer while traveling down the road.

He made up his mind and began walking, going right instead of taking the left. There was no telling where this direction was going to take him, but he decided to trust his instincts on this. As soon as he were out of this forest, he'd try to sleep and hopefully make contact with Computer. If that did not work, he'd come back here tomorrow and continuing looking for him. If he could not find Computer or get into contact with him, well, he really didn't want to think about it.

End Of Chapter


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